Shepton Mallet prison was built in 1610 and is the country’s oldest jail. It is a grim stone structure and is still operational. It housed French prisoners of war during the Napoleonic Wars and during World War II, Cell 10 was used to protect some of the nation’s treasures including the Doomsday Book, a copy … Read more
A new county gaol for Shropshire was built by Thomas Telford, the County Surveyor for Shropshire, between 1787 and 1793 to the design of architect John Hiram Haycock, at a cost of £30,000. The main buildings are principally three and four storey brick structures. It opened in 1793 with 204 cells, 179 for males and 25 for females, plus a debtors’ … Read more
Strangeways Prison in Southall Street, Manchester was built to replace New Bailey prison in Salford which closed in 1868. It was designed by Alfred Waterhouse in 1861, using the Panopticon (radial) concept that was being employed all over Britain at the time. Waterhouse was assisted by Joshua Jebb, the Surveyor General of Prisons, who had also been involved with the design of London’s … Read more
Swansea prison was built between 1845 and 1861 to replace the former prison at Swansea Castle. It is situated about half a mile from the city centre, on Oystermouth Road. Swansea held both male and female prisoners until 1922 when female inmates were transferred to Cardiff Prison. Executions in the 19th Century Three men had … Read more
Walton was Liverpool’s second major prison and was built between 1850 and 1854 on the then fashionable Panopticon (radial) principle. It was designed by Messrs. Charles Peirce and J. Weightman and constructed in Hornby Road, Liverpool with an initial capacity for 1,000 inmates. It took both male and female prisoners, who had been sentenced at the Liverpool Assizes, and … Read more
