HM Prison Wandsworth

HM Prison Wandsworth is a men's prison in South West London with a distinctive panopticon-style architecture. The buildings allow sight lines from a central point to multiple corridors and cell blocks, housing roughly 1,400 inmates.

The facility was founded in 1851 as Surrey House of Correction and introduced groundbreaking features like individual cells with toilets. These facilities were later removed to accommodate more inmates.

The chapel serves inmates of different faiths and shows how spirituality plays a role in daily prison life. Work training and literacy classes shape life behind the walls and offer prisoners new perspectives.

Visitors must book appointments in advance and bring valid photo identification. Strict rules apply to items that can be brought for inmates, so it helps to check the guidelines beforehand.

Between 1878 and 1961, 135 executions took place here, with Francis Forsyth among the last to be executed. The gallows site is part of British penal history and shows how justice evolved over time.

Location: London Borough of Wandsworth

Inception: 1851

Official opening: November 1851

Architectural style: Panopticon

Capacity: 1416

GPS coordinates: 51.45015,-0.17765

Latest update: December 18, 2025 11:41