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Why are there so many bridewells?
In July 2021, Prison History project lead Rosalind Crone was interviewed by John Darvall from BBC Radio Bristol on the history and use of the term ‘bridewell’ after a listener sent in a question. It was such a great question…
British prisons: everything you wanted to know
In June 2021, Prison History project lead Rosalind Crone was interviewed by David Musgrove for the History Extra podcast, Everything you wanted to know … on British prisons. For almost 90 minutes, Rosalind responded to questions on the history of…
Taunton County Gaol: Past Present and Future
On 11 September 2020, project lead Rosalind Crone was interviewed by Claire Carter for the BBC Radio Somerset on the history of Taunton County Gaol in Somerset. A planning application had been submitted to Somerset West and Taunton Council to…
Help us identify this prison – Updated
We have a photograph taken outside a prison in the early to mid-20th century. Can you help us identify it? One of our Prison History subscribers got in touch with a photograph she found in her family’s archive. It is…
Unidentified prison – Can you help?
Can you help us to identify this prison? A correspondent from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, recently got in touch to ask for our help in identifying a prison which appears in a stained glass window in his church, St Peter’s Episcopal. The…
Featured Lock-up: Freshford Lock-up [video]
Situated on Church Hill, the Freshford Lock-up is one of the most unpretentious lock-ups in our database. So much so, that a village resident whom we encountered when filming Freshford Lock-up had no idea about its past use. Venture into…
Featured Lock-up: Monkton Combe Lock-up [video]
Unlike many other lock-ups in our database, Monkton Combe Lock-up is not located in the centre of the village. It can be found on Mill Lane, a narrow road which takes you down the hill towards the Midford Brook. It’s…
Featured Lock-up: Cirencester Lock-up [video]
The Cirencester Lock-up is a building with two distinct stories. Today, it can be found at the back of the Cotswold District Council offices on Trinity Road. But it began life on the other side of town in Gloucester Street, where…
Northleach Old Prison: Bridewell, Police Station, Restaurant [video]
Northleach Old Prison is located right in the heart of the Cotswolds, on the busy A429 between Cirencester and Stow-on-the-Wold. It sits at the head of the River Leach, nestled in a valley, with beautiful hills rising on both sides….
Christmas at Your Local Lock-up
With the festive period upon us, we thought we would explore the the uses of lock-ups in our database at Christmas time. The risks of over-indulgence! Pubs supplied an almost endless stream of men and women who had over-indulged in…
