Victorian prison

Victorian Prison Block

Plan of HM Prison Coldbath Fields 1884. The grey shading shows old buildings, the pink shows building which was new in 1884, increasing the capacity of the prison to 1,000 prisoners. Victorians were worried about the rising crime rate: offences went up from about 5,000 per year in 1800 to about 20,000 per year in 1840. They were firm believers in punishment for criminals, but faced a problem: what should the punishment be? There were prisons, but they were mostly small, old and badly-run…

A Comprehensive History of the Workhouse by Peter Higginbotham

There are very few photos of Newgate prison on the net. The most commonly reproduced ones come from a late Victorian book, Queen’s London, Anon, Cassell, 1897.But three of the most striking and chilling images from that book, “The Graveyard”, “The Chapel” and “The Central Courtyard” seem to have been forgotten for over 100 years.So here is a full set, all six images together with their original accompanying text.At the corner Newgate Street and the Old Bailey is the gloomy granite building…

Once known as London's most notorious prisom. This is Newgate Prison.

Entrance to NEWGATE PRISON. London.

Mary McDonald prisoner number 2424 1873 (PCOM 2/291)

Prison Bed

Don't let your children see you looking at Bodmin Jail as they will take you here over Easter just to scare you. So be careful while looking at your Facebook page - http://www.bodminjail.org/ Click here if you dare - http://www.bodminjail.org/

Victorian prison wing by coldwarcamera, via Flickr

newgate

A Prisoner in his Cell (The Prisoner), 1878 by Nikolai Yaroshenko (Russian, 1846-1898), oil on canvas, 143.1 x 107.6 cm - Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow, Russia)2

A view of new cells under construction during the remodelling of Brixton Prison in 1902. The old cells were supposed to accommodate one person in a 8ft x 7½ft x 6ft high space, but became overcrowded. These were rebuilt ‘to meet the strain put upon the prison accommodation by the closing of Newgate [prison] and […]

In the late 19th century, England was known for its wealth, but not everyone shared in its prosperity. Even though it was one of the richest countries, many neighborhoods, especially…

Old Joliet Prison