Temple

Explorer Tom At The Judge's Lodging in Presteigne, the comfortable dining room and the cells belong to the same astonishing building. Wander from a judge's armchair towards the courtroom and the difference in power becomes hard to miss. I reckon the gas lamps still glare at anyone who tries to declare a verdict before hearing the evidence. This was Radnorshire's Shire Hall, with apartments for visiting judges and rooms for the people who served them. Presteigne's long role as a legal centre ended when its last assize judge sat here in 1970. The restored museum now presents the house and court in a Victorian setting, with original fittings, period furnishings and lamps that give the rooms a very different light from a modern gallery. An audio tour introduces people associated with the building; its duck theft courtroom scene is a dramatisation, not a trial taking place around you. Explore the servants' workrooms as well as the grander spaces, and look at the old cells below the courtroom. The museum also keeps a substantial community collection about Presteigne. Much can be touched under its house rules, but follow the signs for delicate objects. Historic stairs limit access above and below the ground floor; the operator explains a rear lift, a ground-floor visit and other support. Check its current seasonal opening before you travel. Come out onto Broad Street with a sharper sense of how justice, housekeeping and social rank once occupied the same address. The Judge's Lodging lets the building make its own argument. If the duck from the audio trial asks you for a character reference, I would request a lawyer first.