A new attraction in Dorchester brings a fascinating social history of the county to life and has much relevance for the present day and future, as Joanna Davis discovers

Stepping into the newly restored Shire Hall in Dorchester is like confronting both the past and future simultaneously.

With a £1.5 million Heritage Lottery Grant spent on the building match funded by West Dorset District Council, the historic courthouse and county hall for Dorset has been spruced up and transformed into an immersive multimedia experience that will take visitors on a journey through the building's dark past, which dates back to 1757.

It is expected to draw thousands of visitors to the county town and has created jobs, a community space and new café for Dorchester.

The project to transform the Grade I building, most recently used as West Dorset District Council's headquarters, has been five years in the making.

Technology plays a large part in the new visitor experience, with people given the option of following prisoners' stories on multimedia guides from which they can select an individual's story to follow.

Some of these names like Martha Brown, the last woman to be hanged in Dorset, and the Tolpuddle Martyrs will be familiar to Durnovarians, while others, such as Elijah Upjohn, a petty criminal who was tried when he was 12, later deported and now remembered in Australia as the hangman when outlaw Ned Kelly was sentenced to death, are less familiar.

Specially programmed iPads are given to youngsters to help them find hidden 'story boxes' throughout the attraction containing artefacts and props relating to the building's colourful characters.

Numerous stories of the people who passed through the courtroom's doors in its 150 year history are shared in displays and quotes on the wall.

The centrepiece of the museum is its Georgian Assize courtroom, which has been restored to its former glory.

Visitors are led up to the dock, where they take in the intimidating view of the judge and jury benches. They can also try on headgear belonging to all the people from different walks of life who would be in the courtroom, from lords and ladies to labourers on jury service.

And while the museum looks to the past, at the same time it's looking to the future, with an airy mezzanine café run by Kingston Maurward College, providing a training ground for apprentices, and community space for hire in the building.

The project has created six new permanent jobs and put more than £3 million into the local economy by using local contractors and firms.

Anna Bright, director of the museum, has been with the project since detailed planning work began in July 2015, following the awarding of the £1.5 million lottery grant.

She has previously curated for the National Portrait Gallery, the Tate Modern and collaborated with artist Grayson Perry on an Ice Age art display at the British Museum.

Ms Bright said: "It's so exciting to see it all come together at the Shire Hall and I'm really proud of what everybody has achieved. We've had 350 people working on this project."

Low lighting and the voices of the incarcerated Tolpuddle Martyrs booming out bring the cell area to life. Visitors can step into the cells and imagine what it would have been like awaiting trial.

Harriet Still, events and exhibition manager, said: "It makes you realise what it would have been like to be there, to be in that cell.

"The Tolpuddle Martyrs spent three days awaiting trial in this cell and it would have been freezing cold in here."

Although the Shire Hall harbours a grisly reputation for sending people to their death in the 18th century, in fact only 30 per cent of those tried at the courtroom were found guilty.

And some fascinating stories emerged from research carried out to find out more about characters of the courtroom, Ms Bright said.

"We were looking a the story of Daniel Baker who went to court 57 times and spent half his life in and out of prison. We found that he had a great grandson also called Dan Baker who was living in Dorchester and was able to give him all this information about his relative. It was like an episode of Who Do You Think You Are?"

It is hoped that around 30,000 people a year will come through the doors of the museum. Some 7,500 schoolchildren are expected to visit.

The museum's tagline, Justice in the Balance, coincides with what pupils are learning in schools as part of the National Curriculum about British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

Various events will be held at the attraction. It has already played host to Dorchester Drama's staging of a Bertolt Brecht play and theatre company The Gramophones' travelling performance of the Memory Museum.

Shire Hall will feature exhibitions around the theme of justice for all͛ and will look at how protests like the US Civil Rights Movement changed the world. It will also host relevant talks, like a recent talk on play Call Mr Robeson, which is about Paul Robeson, a civil rights campaigner.

Shire Hall Historic Courthouse Museum, High West Street, Dorchester is open daily from 10am to 5pm. Admission is £8.50 for adults, £7.50 for concessions and £4.50 for children. Under fives go free. See shirehalldorset.org for more information.