Courtroom Experience

Do you love a good murder mystery? 
Always fancied doing jury service? 
Want to experience Victorian Cornish history?
Then visit the Courtroom Experience, an award winning visitor attraction at the heart of Cornwall. 

What’s the trial all about?
In 1844 on the windswept slopes of Bodmin Moor, the body of a local girl, Charlotte Dymond was found.  Matthew Weeks, her boyfriend was arrested and charged with her murder.  But was he guilty?  Who do you think was the guilty party?

Come and act as a member of the jury in a re-enactment of Matthew’s trial in the very building in which the trial took place.  Guilty or not guilty you must decide! 

Then visit the spooky holding cells where inmates awaited their trial and imagine what it would have felt like to be in a damp, gloomy cell just one metre square in size!
 

When is the Courtroom Experience open?
The Courtroom Experience welcomes visitors all year round. 
Easter to end of October Mon - Sat
November to March Mon ~ Fri
The First session is held at 11am and is hourly until the last session at 4pm. 

What do our visitors say about us?

“Lovely building, captivating Courtroom
Experience, lovely town, well-kept Shire Hall”

“The Courtroom Experience was very, very good.  Well worth a visit!  Thank you”

“Thank you for making the dogs so welcome”

Information & contact

The Courtroom Experience can be found in the Shire Hall, once the old County Courts. Located at the very heart of Bodmin, it is easy to find and has two large car parks both within a 2-minute walk of the building.

Coming via public transport, there are routes to Bodmin from most major Cornish towns. There are regular trains to Bodmin Parkway linked to Bodmin by the 555 bus. For timetable information, contact the Visitor Information Centre, 01208 76616 or bodmintic@visit.org.uk.

From the A30 coming from the west of Cornwall take the Bodmin sliproad. Follow this road, passing Morrisons supermarket on your right. Proceed until you reach the mini roundabout beside a large church and take the first exit off this roundabout going up the hilol towards a set of traffic lights beside Barclays Bank. The Shire Hall is just to your right. For the main car parks, you can either turn left at Barclays Bank or turn right behind the Shire Hall. From the east of Cornwall take the Bodmin slip road, passing Asda on your right. Continue until you reach the junction opposite the Bodmin football club. Turn right and then proceed to mini roundabout by large church and then follow as above.