Your Stories

French Prison History in unexpected places

At these three popular tourist sites in France, you might be surprised to stumble across some fascinating prison history. Château d’Ussé, Rigny-Ussé, Indre-et-Loire Nestled on a hill, overlooking the Indre River, is the splendid Château d’Ussé. Built in phases from…

Elizabeth Fry Refuge

In May 2022, Prison History project lead Rosalind Crone appeared in episode 3 of Jay Blades’s series, No Place Like Home, to discuss an important historical site: the Elizabeth Fry Refuge at 195 Mare Street, Hackney, London. Jay had no…

Origins and legacy of the penal treadmill

In April 2022, Prison History project lead Rosalind Crone was interviewed by Dallas Campbell for his History Hit series Patented: History of Inventions on the origins and legacy of the penal treadmill. Dallas thought he’d be finding out about the…

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…

Hertfordshire Lock Ups, Cages and Prisons

In Summer 2021, we learned of the existence of a map of Hertfordshire lock-ups, cages and prisons. It’s creator, David Short, kindly offered to share it with us, along with the chapter that accompanied it, written by Philip Plumb, and…

Securing a fitting legacy for Holloway Prison

The recently closed Holloway Prison in Islington, London, has a fascinating history and so needs a fitting legacy. Built between 1849 and 1852 to replace the old house of Correction in Giltspur Street, Smithfield, the new Holloway City Prison had 306…

Will the real Eastby Jail please stand up?

If you are a resident of Eastby, near Skipton, North Yorkshire, or if you have been lucky enough to visit, you might know that it once had a small gaol, or lock-up. You might have heard that it was located…

Bristol’s Prisons Unlocked

As a major English port town, Bristol has had more than its fair share of prisons. By the early 19th century, there were at least three separate sites at which those accused of crime awaited trial, and those who had…