Bodmin Jail

OVERVIEW

A granite prison on the edge of Bodmin built in 1779 to Sir John Call's design, one of the first to hold prisoners in separate cells, and closed in 1927; much of it fell into ruin before parts were restored as an attraction and, in 2021, a hotel in the old cell blocks. Fifty-five executions took place here, the last in 1909, and in 1914–18 the Crown Jewels and the Domesday Book were stored in it for safety.

HISTORY

Public hangings drew crowds to the gate until 1862; the jail housed naval prisoners and, for a time, women and debtors. The last hanging, of William Hampton, was in 1909.

REPORTED ACTIVITY

The jail's own tours and the television investigations (Most Haunted, series 6) describe figures in the cells, the sound of the trapdoor and a woman on the stairs; a hanged woman, Selina Wadge (1878), is named. The venue sells the stories and runs 'paranormal experiences' with ouija boards; the entry records the tradition as the venue's.

VISITING

Open daily, ticketed; evening ghost tours and overnight investigations by booking. The hotel is in the same building.