Children to put their parents on trial for witchcraft at the Lock-Up

Children will be able to put their parents on trial for witchcraft this half-term, when a spooky courtroom experience returns to the police museum at the Lock-Up in Birmingham.

From 28 to 30 October, young visitors will become the jury, deciding whether their grown-ups are innocent or secretly living double lives as witches.

Hearing the evidence

Children will hear evidence, question witnesses and decide whether the adults on trial have been acting suspiciously, before delivering their verdict on who is innocent and who is a witch.

The sessions follow last year's Nursery Crimes trials, when young jurors successfully saw the Big Bad Wolf sentenced. This year the museum is promising even more creepy characters in the courtroom.

Times and tickets

The trials take place at 11am and 1pm each day and are included in the price of general admission. Places on the jury cannot be booked in advance; families should make their way to the courtroom on arrival.

Visitors are advised to book their general admission tickets in advance on the museum's website to avoid disappointment.

About the Lock-Up

The Lock-Up on Steelhouse Lane was the city's main police lock-up, holding prisoners before they appeared before the magistrates. It was built in the 1890s and held people in its cells until 2016. The building is now home to the police museum, where visitors can see the original Victorian cells and explore the history of policing and crime in Birmingham.

The museum tells the stories of the people held there over more than a century, from Victorian pickpockets to the city's notorious gangs, and runs talks, tours and family events throughout the year.

Witch trials in history

Witch trials were a dark part of English history. Hundreds of people, most of them women, were accused of witchcraft between the 16th and 18th centuries, and many were executed, particularly during the 1640s. The laws that made witchcraft a capital crime were finally repealed in 1736.

The museum's light-hearted courtroom gives children a taste of how a trial works, from hearing evidence to weighing it up and reaching a verdict, in a way that is more likely to end in giggles than anything sinister.

Half-term ideas

Many of the city's museums and attractions are holding Halloween-themed events over the half-term holiday, from trails and crafts to ghost tours and spooky storytelling. Cadbury World in Bournville, for example, has a new trick-or-treat game built around a giant chocolate pumpkin, running until 1 November. Families are advised to check opening times and book ahead, because the most popular sessions fill up quickly.