Bodmin Gaol, Berrycombe Road, Bodmin, Cornwall
The history of Bodmin Gaol goes back to 1778-1800. The first prison was designed to hold 100 prisoners, mainly people who could not pay their debts and those guilty of minor offences. James Chapple became the first governor and held this job for 50 years. In 1855 the original building was replaced by a new building on an extended site. This new building was built by prisoners. It contained 200 cells, a quarter of which were for females. The jail closed in 1927 and fell into disrepair. Part of it has been used as a prison museum since the 1960s. In 2009 it is still a museum and still partly roofless and ruinous.
