Gloucester (HM Prison)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

HM Prison Gloucester was a Category B men's prison located in
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...
,
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. It was originally opened in 1792, on the site of
Gloucester Castle Gloucester Castle was a Norman-era royal castle situated in the city of Gloucester in Gloucestershire, England. It was demolished in 1787 and replaced by Gloucester Prison. Early Norman motte and bailey castle It was probably constructe ...
whose keep had been used as a prison. The prison was operated by
Her Majesty's Prison Service His Majesty's Prison Service (HMPS) is a part of HM Prison and Probation Service (formerly the National Offender Management Service), which is the part of His Majesty's Government charged with managing most of the prisons within England and ...
and closed in 2013.


History

Designed by
William Blackburn William Blackburn (17501790) was an English architect and the leading prison architect of the Georgian-era. Following the principles of John Howard, his designs aimed to provide inmates with dry and airy cells. Biography Blackburn was born ...
, the prison was constructed on the site of
Gloucester Castle Gloucester Castle was a Norman-era royal castle situated in the city of Gloucester in Gloucestershire, England. It was demolished in 1787 and replaced by Gloucester Prison. Early Norman motte and bailey castle It was probably constructe ...
, the keep of which had previously been used as a prison. It opened as a county gaol in 1792. In 1840, it was substantially rebuilt with flanking brick wings by Thomas Fuljames. A new young offenders wing was built at the prison in 1971. Further improvements were made in 1987, including a new gate, administration block and visits centre. In April, 2003, Gloucester was named in a survey as "among the 20 most overcrowded jails" in the United Kingdom. The following day, the prison was the scene of a three-and-a-half-hour
siege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...
when two prisoners protested over visiting rights by barricading themselves in a cell. A Time Bank scheme was launched at Gloucester Prison in February 2006. Inmates who joined the scheme restored bicycles in the prison workshop, and this time was credited to their friends and families who could cash it in to get help from volunteers in the community. The scheme continued at the prison until its closure. In June 2007, the Independent Monitoring Board criticised Gloucester Prison for its overcrowding, poor dining provision and cramped cells. A month later over 100 prisoners had to be moved to other jails after severe flooding across the Gloucestershire area submerged the ground floor of the prison and interfered with its water supplies. In August 2007, the prison was criticised by
Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons is the head of HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the senior inspector of prisons, young offender institutions and immigration service detention and removal centres in England and Wales. The current chief inspe ...
after an inspection report found the levels of organised activities for inmates at Gloucester (such as training and education) were "woeful". The report also stated that one wing of the prison should be refurbished. However the prison was described as "very positive" overall because of good management. On 10 January 2013, Justice Secretary
Chris Grayling Christopher Stephen Grayling, Baron Grayling, (born 1 April 1962), is a British politician and author who served as Secretary of State for Justice from 2012 to 2015, Leader of the House of Commons from 2015 to 2016 and Secretary of State for T ...
announced that the prison was one of seven in England to close. The prison formally closed on 31 March 2013. The site of the prison is due to be redeveloped, however there are a number of executed criminals buried in unmarked graves under the prison. It was reported in April 2013 that the Malmaison hotel chain have expressed an interest in converting the site into a hotel, while an alternative proposal would see a prison museum with ghost tours housed at the former jail. In March the site was formally put up for sale, with an expectation that at least part of the site will be for housing. On 24 December 2014, it was announced that Gloucester Prison along with Dorchester Prison, Kingston Prison and
Shepton Mallet Prison HMP Shepton Mallet, sometimes known as Cornhill, is a former prison in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England. When it closed in 2013, it had been the United Kingdom's oldest operating prison, following the closure of HMP Lancaster Castle in 2011 ...
had been sold to City and Country. There will be a community consultation on the development of all the sites, with plans including mixed-used schemes of assisted living units alongside retail and social amenity areas. In December 2015 it was revealed that the remains of a wall of a large
Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norma ...
castle had been uncovered in the former exercise yard of the prison. From April 2017 to October 2018, the former prison was open to the public under the Jailhouse Tours brand whilst planning permission was finalised. The prison is now open to the public again for numerous events www.gloucester-prison.co.uk


Notable former inmates

*
Herbert Rowse Armstrong Herbert Rowse Armstrong TD MA (13 May 1869 – 31 May 1922) was an English solicitor and convicted murderer, the only solicitor in the United Kingdom ever hanged for murder. He was living in Cusop Dingle, Herefordshire, England, and practi ...
, the only British solicitor to have been hanged for murder (executed in 1922) *
Arthur Griffith Arthur Joseph Griffith (; 31 March 1871 – 12 August 1922) was an Irish writer, newspaper editor and politician who founded the political party Sinn Féin. He led the Irish delegation at the negotiations that produced the 1921 Anglo-Irish Trea ...
, Former President of
Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...
( May 1918 - March 1919 ) *
Stefan Kiszko Stefan may refer to: * Stefan (given name) * Stefan (surname) * Ștefan, a Romanian given name and a surname * Štefan, a Slavic given name and surname * Stefan (footballer) (born 1988), Brazilian footballer * Stefan Heym, pseudonym of German writ ...
, wrongly convicted of murder *
Peter McAleese Peter McAleese (7 September 1942 – 18 March 2024) was a Scottish soldier and mercenary. McAleese served in the British Army's Parachute Regiment and Special Air Service (SAS), the Rhodesian Special Air Service and British South Africa Police ...
, British soldier, prisoner during the 1970s * Pierce McCan, Irish revolutionary, died in the prison in 1919 *
Fred West Frederick Walter Stephen West (29 September 1941 – 1 January 1995) was an English serial killer, who committed at least twelve murders between 1967 and 1987 in Gloucestershire, England—the majority with his second wife, Rose West. The vi ...
, English serial killer, who spent time on remand in the Prison before his infamous crimes were uncovered


References


External links


Ministry of Justice pages on Gloucester
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gloucester (Hm Prison)
HM Prison His Majesty's Prisons (Her Majesty's Prisons in the case of a female monarch) is the name given to prisons in the United Kingdom, as well as some in Australia and a small number in Canada, Grenada, Jersey, The Bahamas and Barbados. The title mak ...
Prisons in Gloucestershire 1782 establishments in England
HM Prison His Majesty's Prisons (Her Majesty's Prisons in the case of a female monarch) is the name given to prisons in the United Kingdom, as well as some in Australia and a small number in Canada, Grenada, Jersey, The Bahamas and Barbados. The title mak ...
2013 disestablishments in England Men's prisons Defunct prisons in England