The Tolhouse Gaol

Uncover the stories of convicted thieves, smugglers, witches, pirates and murderers whose fates were sealed inside the walls of this coastal gaol, from complete relocation to prisons elsewhere to execution.

The 800-year-old stone building was originally a medieval merchant’s house before it became associated with the law – since then it has been used as a courtroom, town gaol, police station, and since the 1880s, a museum. Alongside Great Yarmouth’s long history in law enforcement, the museum also explores the turbulent history of the building itself, which has been both attacked by rebels and gutted by bombs.