Judges Lodges, Herefordshire

It started with Murder…

A murder in Rhayader of a judge in the 1530s was to change the life of the tiny border town of Presteigne forever. Rhayader, chosen as the venue for the Court of King’s Great Sessions, was obviously not a safe enough place for eminent men to stay and in 1542 Presteigne was chosen as an alternative. Its life as the legal seat of Radnorshire was set for more than 400 years and with it the development of Presteigne into Radnorshire’s County town.

By 1825 the Shire Hall had falling into disrepair (so much so that in 1828 a contractor was used to prop up the Shire Hall for a parliamentary election) that the magistrates advertised for tenders build a new Shire Hall on the site of the old goal. Work started in 1826 and was declared finished in 1829.

The building was in use until the 1990s when drastic action was needed if the building was to be saved. It was decided to transform this decaying building back to its Victorian heyday as a real working Victorian house including the oil and gas lighting (which leaves a unique smell). On 24th May 1997 the building was declared open.

During the investigation we will have access to full suite of 14 period rooms of the building, including the judge’s apartments, servants’ workrooms, two holding cells and the vast courtroom itself.

There are not any internal lifts and with the rooms being over 3 floors it could prove difficult for person with some mobility issues.