Doors Open London 2013

The last weekend of September was Doors Open London.  The place we most wanted to tour was the Middlesex Administration building located near downtown London.  This building was once used as the London jail and was built to look like a castle.   Despite my many years of residence in London I have never before been inside this most interesting looking building.  Our tour was quite informative.  They have restored many areas of the building including some of the original cells, a solitary confinement cell, the courtroom and many of the common areas and hallways.  The building was once located on a great hill along the Thames however, the city grew up (literally( on the east side and what was once the second story has now become the main level entrance on Ridout St.  The last public hanging took place in 1951.  Among the history related to us was that debtors prison was much worse than regular prison.  In regular prison you could be expected to be incarcerated for at least 6 months for thievery  but you would be housed in grossly overcrowded conditions (only 4 large cells available)and fed by the city.  In debtors prison no such luck...your family and friends were expected to sell off any assets in order to provide you with food and any other necessities of life.  It was an interesting adventure and we enjoyed strolling down the hill to the forks of the Thames to check out the park and the fountain on the river before overcast skies sent us back to the car.  We even made it back home  before the bulk of the rain fell.

r

present day entrance of old London jail off  Ridout

view of a hallway with double doors at the end

looking up from a hallway window

note the very tall door in this large room now used for banquets

solitary cell with very short, narrow doorway

individual cell just large enough for small cot

these are the individual cells

room was once the toilet facility.  Grate things here look like bars to cover the windows

view of the common cell area and individual cells

small window to look in on cell

view from courtyard

fountain at forks of Thames

fishing at the forks

poor quality panorama of forks

courtyard wall

gates to the gallows area

looking up the hill at a corner tower

London's idea of trees for downtown