It’s not always easy getting into the minds and psyche of historic prisoners. Prison records, whilst informative around the convictions, descriptions and treatment of prisoners, seldom dwell on their wellbeing, their personalities or personal experiences. Whilst there are a handful of extant accounts, these are often coloured by the fact that they are written by…
Category: Prison
A Convict’s Fate in Victorian Britain
Being arrested and then sentenced to penal servitude in Victorian Britain almost certainly guaranteed a miserable existence, in a miserable prison, surrounded by equally miserable people. During the Victorian era there were several paradigm shifts in the way saw the people and world around them, from the advent and celebration of science and technology, as…
Of Bones and Betrayal – Our trip to Oxford Castle and Prison.
In central Oxford, hemmed in by 60s Bauhaus installations and chain restaurants, sits almost a thousand years of history, beautifully preserved and, at times, wonderfully disturbing. Oxford Castle (and latterly prison) is still an incredible building, despite part of it having been revamped into a hotel. Apparently the attraction of staying in a prison, didn’t die out with the Victorian poor.
The Usual Haunts – An Overnight (Para)normal Experience at Bodmin Prison
Since its inauguration in 1779, it has served as a prison, a secret hideaway for the crown jewels in WWII, a casino, a strip club and will latterly become a hotel. Bodmin Jail was both prison and execution site and thousands of people, over the years, bore witness to the final moments of society’s most maligned.
Our visit to Dartmoor Prison Museum
Nestled in the bosom of a misty set of hills, Dartmoor Prison with its circular sides has been in use since the Napoleonic wars. French, American and English prisoners have walked through its gates and not all have left through that self-same portal, at least not upright.