Beaumaris Gaol, Victorian prison in Beaumaris, Wales.
Description
Beaumaris Gaol is a stone prison with thick walls, iron-barred windows, and individual cells designed for about 30 inmates spread across multiple floors. The structure features a chapel, guard areas, and other prison facilities arranged within its fortified exterior.
History
The prison was designed and built in 1829 by architect Joseph Hansom to implement modern penal standards of the 19th century. After its closure in 1878, the building served as a police station before eventually becoming a museum.
Culture
The preserved chapel displays pews and a pulpit gathered from a renovated chapel on the island of Anglesey. Visitors can see how these collected items form an unusual space that connects the building's history with local resources.
Practical
Visitors receive an audio guide narrated from the perspective of Richard Rowlands, the last person executed here in 1862. This personal narrative helps make the prison's history more accessible and engaging for those exploring the building.
Did you know?
The prison holds one of Britain's last functioning penal treadmills, which prisoners operated to pump water throughout the building. This machine demonstrates an unusual labor method used in prisons of that era.
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