Shire Hall Courthouse And Cells - Dorchester, Dorset
A Macabre history and sinister ghostly hauntings plague the Old Shire Hall in Dorchester

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A terrifying night of ghost hunting awaits you at Shire Hall Courthouse where nothing can prepare you for the darkness and sheer despair which truly overwhelms you. This is not surprising when you come face to face with the torrid history of this haunted Grade 1 listed building in Dorchester. With its links to the Tolpuddle Martyrs and the many other wretched souls that suffered in its dark cells this location is certainly a must for those who want to seek the truth about the paranormal. The building not only consists of a large courtroom, but also a maze of cells and dark corridors below.

Shire Hall Courthouse is famously haunted and ghost hunters here have begun to accumulate a mass of evidence to support this. We are certainly looking forward to our ghost hunts here and although we venture with a certain amount of trepidation we really hope to discover who or what is haunting this old courthouse and cells.

Hauntings of Shire Hall, Cells and Courthouse

Shire Hall Courthouse in Dorchester has a real reputation for being extremely haunted. Of the ghosts that reside here many consist of those that were incarcerated in a state of terror at the fate that lay before them.  Eventually many would take their own lives rather than face a tortuously and unbearably harsh punishment. Apparitions have been witnessed here along with screams, heavy footsteps, doors slamming and panic-stricken whispering as you enter the darkness of the cells. Some people have felt an overwhelming sense of foreboding as they sit in the courthouse, giving them the urge to flee from the area.

History of Shire Hall, Cells and Courthouse

Known as one of the best-preserved buildings of its kind, Shire Hall Courthouse in Dorchester is an an award-winning social justice museum bringing over 200 years of justice and injustice to life. It is a highly important and well-established Grade 1 listed building.

The courthouse has seen so much history through the eyes of the criminal justice system from 1797 until 1955. It has the stigma of being home to the trial of the famous Tolpuddle Martyrs. In 1834 unions were lawful and growing fast but six leaders of the union in the Dorset village of Tolpuddle were arrested and sentenced to seven years’ transportation for administering an oath of secrecy. A massive protest swept across the country. Thousands of people marched through London and many more organised petitions and protest meetings to demand their freedom.

Shire Hall Courthouse was also behind the book Tess of the D’Urbervilles after a domestic abuse case inspired its author, Thomas Hardy. Trials involving American G.I’s and other leading court cases were witnessed here. It has a wealth of history and mesmerising facts surrounding events that are famous even today.