Gloucester Prison has been a place of execution for centuries, from its time as a castle where public executions took place in public at the gate house to its time as a prison. Death has very much played a central part of the prisons history. Today the prison is a tourist attraction that hosts regular ghost hunts and paranormal events due to it being one of the most haunted prisons in the country.
Sadly, by the end of the year, Gloucester Prison will be closing its doors to the public and transformed into luxury flats, the question is, would you live in a flat that was once a cell occupied by murderers, rapists, the mentally disturbed and serial killers? Well if this floats your boat, then you could soon be able to buy a flat, including in the location of the condemned cells, where on the first floor of A Wing, the last three cells on the left were used to house prisoners about to be hung in their last days. The first of the three cells would prepare the prisoner for their execution, the second cell would be where they would get the chance of seeing their family one last time, the third would be where they had their last meal and meet with the priest before walking though an opening in the wall to a balcony area to have the noose put round their neck to be hung.
Since its closure as a prison, local historians back in 2013 claimed their could be as many as 120 bodies of prisoners still buried in the prison grounds. There is quite literally death and misery around every corner of the prison and why it has a reputation as one of the UK’s most haunted prisons, but there are still people eager to purchase one of these flats.
Swindon’s most infamous link to Gloucester Prison is 41 year old Ralph Smith who was executed for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Beatrice Baxter in Argyle Street because she told him that she was heading to a dance to meet another man . Ralph Smith was the last person to be executed at Gloucester Prison on the morning of 7th June 1939.
Ralph Smith would meet his end with a noose placed around his neck by Thomas Pierrepoint, sending Smith plunging through the trap door to his death who was assisted by his nephew Albert, who became Britain’s most prolific executioner of modern times.
Plans that were approved back in 2018 to convert the former prison, a grade II listed building into luxury flats will be transformed into 38 one, two and three bedroom flats. Seven new buildings will house 164 flats, bringing the total to 202. Within the main building, the chapel wing and heritage centre will remain open to the public. Developers also plan to keep the prisons perimeter walls intact, which in its history saw only a handful of prisoners escape over the top. The perimeter wall will also include constructing a viewing platform above the 12th century Castle Keep, which was discovered during archaeological works.
Book your Ghost Hunt at Gloucester Prison, Click HERE.
The prison’s former exercise yards will be landscaped with new trees planted and 114 car parking spaces created. The grounds are thought to hold the unmarked graves of over 120 dead prisoners.
Gloucester City Council’s planning committee voted unanimously to approve the plans, put forward by luxury developers City & Country, on 1st May 2018.
The public still have time to visit the prison and take part in ghost hunts and paranormal events organised by the UK’s number one paranormal events company Haunted Happenings. But get in quick as time is running out.
Entertainment Swindon 
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