Warminster Lock Up

Overview

Images

Sources

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Overview

Alternative Names   Warminster Blind House

Nation   England

County   Wiltshire

Location   1 Church Street  Warminster

Map location   exact or closely approximate

Year opened   unknown

Year closed   unknown

Century of Operation   1700-1799

Building Type   Lock-Up

Descriptions

'Part of No 1 Church Street. Former lock-up. C17 or C18 replaced. 1 storey circular to eaves; rubble with ashlar door surround, slightly pointed domical old tile roof over brick dome vault, with round stone cap. Now partly incorporated in a modern garage. The structure appears to be complete, and is similar to that at Heytesbury.'

Historic England, National Heritage List for England, 'The Round House (in garage to south east of Obelisk House)' LEN 1036186

'a truly circular roundhouse ...[but] garage has been built around part of it, so that it now forms a 'corner' ... Inside the lock-up appears to be more spacious [than other roundhouses] and is brick-lined with a capped opening at the apex of the domed roof to admit air. The existing doorway is obviously a subsequent insertion, the original one, lower in height and just visible in outline in the stonework outside, being opposite a niche in the wall which seems formerly to have been a barred window looking out on the green before the garage was built. The roof outside is attractively tiled with red tiles. Inside, the iron bars which now run from side to side, where the roof starts to curve, appear to have been inserted for the purpose of smoking bacon after its usefulness as a lock-up was past - a use to which the lock-up at Downtown was also put prior to its demolition.'

Leslie Brooke, Some West-Country Lock-Ups (Castle Cary, Fox Publications, 1985), pp. 20, 145 (sketch)

Featured Images

  • ExteriorPhoto © M J Richardson (cc-by-sa/2.0)
  • Photograph, stone lock-up to south east of Obelisk House, Warminster, Wiltshire, 1960s?Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre, MODES Database, P7685 (with kind permission)

Description: Exterior

Photo by: Photo © M J Richardson (cc-by-sa/2.0)

Description: Photograph, stone lock-up to south east of Obelisk House, Warminster, Wiltshire, 1960s?

Photo by: Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre, MODES Database, P7685 (with kind permission)

SOURCES

    Roy's Blog, 'WILTSHIRE. Lock-ups at Steeple Ashton, Trowbridge and Warminster.' (23 March 2013)

  • http://roys-roy.blogspot.com/2013/03/lock-ups-at-steeple-ashton-trowbridge.html
  • Historic England, National Heritage List for England, 'The Round House (in garage to south east of Obelisk House)' LEN 1036186

  • https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1036186
  • Leslie Brooke, Some West-Country Lock-Ups (Castle Cary, Fox Publications, 1985), pp. 20, 145 (sketch)

ARCHIVES

Archive name: Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre

Catalogue ref: P7685

Collection: MODES Database

Description: Photograph, stone lock-up to south east of Obelisk House, Warminster, Wiltshire, 1960s?

Dates: [1960s]


Comments

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2 Comments

  1. Loys Sensabaugh Lemus

    Hi, I am looking for information on people whom have been imprisoned back in the early 1900s, received information about my grandmothers past and am wondering what her parents have done to be imprisoned numerous times from 1895 to around 1906 to have had their children taken away and put into homes, the fathers name was Herbert Newbury and mothers name is Mary Jane Newbury, the 3 children involved were Emily Matilda Newbury age 8, Margaret Mary Newbury aged 7 and my grandmother Lily May Newbury aged 5 back in 1906when they were removed from their parents, I would greatly appreciate any info that you have and thank you, Loys Sensabaugh Lemus

    • Rosalind Crone

      Hi Loys, It sounds like you have some fascinating family history to explore. I can recommend taking a look at this website, which should help get you started on your research: https://ourcriminalancestors.org/ That should help you with starting points for those who served sentences of imprisonment at least. Good luck!

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