Otley Courthouse is a vibrant arts and resource centre founded and run by and for the people of Otley. Its home is a 19th century magistrates court, police station & Superintendent’s house which was transformed over an 8 year period before it opened its doors in its current form in 2004.
Our aim is to be a welcoming community hub where people can experience live events, learn new skills, connect with culture, join as a volunteer or Friend of the Courthouse, meet other people and improve their social connections.
In addition to our main auditorium (the Courtroom), we have ten tenanted studios/rooms, a meeting room and a Maker Space that functions on a membership basis and hosts the Wharfedale Men’s Shed.
A lot of the heritage of the building is also still visible: from the holes where prison bars used to be in the doorways, to the visitor gallery in the former Courtroom, to our heritage prison cell and corridor, that still looks exactly the same as it did during Victorian times.
We host a wide variety of events throughout the year, from film screenings, live
music, theatre, comedy, art exhibitions and creative workshops. We also host a wide variety of local creatives who run weekly classes and workshops from the centre.
Our café is open 6 days a week, where a friendly volunteer serves teas, coffees and snacks.
We have a handful of staff, but are predominantly run by our amazing team of over 100 volunteers that were awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2019.
Come and say hi!
