The Crumlin Road Gaol is a famous jail here in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Many people from all over the world come and visit this historical jail. And I too will experience its history. Come and join me!

The entrance to the Crumlin Road Gaol.

The Crum

In front of the Gaol is the Courthouse where prisoners get their sentence and walk through the tunnel house connecting to the Gaol.

The Courthouse

Upon entering the Gaol, you will see the Reception at the right and Gift Shop to the left. There is also a penny press machine sitting at the entrance.

At the reception, if you book online, you just need to give your booking reference and the staff will give you a wrist tag as a pass and will instruct you to go to the assembly point to wait for your tour guide.

You can book online here.

Opening Times

Monday to Sunday 10.00am to 4.30pm.

Ticket Prices

Adult - £12.00
Child (5-15 yrs) - £7.50
Concession - £10.00
Family (2 adults+ 2 children) - £30.00

You get inside and these are what you going to see.

This is a guided tour for everyone. Straight to the assembly point to wait for the tour guide.

And while waiting, there are plenty of interesting stuff you can look at.

Robert McGladdery was the last person executed in 20th of December 1961.

Madonna and Child handicraft collage that was made by a prisoner in the Crumlin Road Gaol in the 1970s.

Albert Pierrepoint
This is the life mask of executioner Albert Pierrepoint that was donated by Stewart McLaughlin, curator of Wandsworth Prison Museum in London. Pierrepoint acted as an assistant at the executions of Harold Courtney in 1933, and Thomas Williams in 1942. Both executions took place here at the Crumlin Road Gaol.

There is the Matrons Gallery too, with the Holding Cell on it. Holding Cells used to hold those prisoners who were either going to court or awaiting a visit from a legal representative.

Our tour guide came, her name is Hannah and we are 5 on tour. She started with the history of the Gaol.

History

Sir Charles Lanyon a famous English civil engineer and architect, designed the Crumlin Road Gaol in Belfast. The work began in 1843 and completed in 1845. It was the new House of Correction and replaced Carrickfergus Gaol as the new Antrim County Gaol in 1846. The Crum is a five-sided walled site, four wings constructed from black basalt. It's based on Pentonville Prison and was designed on the Radial Cellular System. It was the first Gaol in Ireland designed for the "Separate System of Solitary Confinement", whereby prisoners separated from each other and were not allowed to discourse.

The first prisoners came from Carrickfergus Gaol in 1846. It's said that 106 men, women and children marched on foot in chains. In the early years, children also imprisoned for stealing food or clothing. Sentences for children ranged from a week to a month, could be increased up to three months (If not first time offense) and could include whipping. The youngest ever recorded was the case of a ten-year-old Patrick Maggie who was charged for stealing clothes from a washer woman for the second time in April 1858, resulting to 3 months sentence. He hanged himself in his cell on April 27, 1858. From there, a new law was passed, forbidding children under the age of 14 to be sent to an adult prison. Over its long history the Gaol housed murderers, suffragettes, loyalist and republicans. The 150-year history of imprisonment and executions was ended in March 31, 1996 by the final Governor Bill McLoughlin.

The Gaol's layout

We head first to the Reception Area.

Reception Area

After receiving their sentence from the Courthouse, prisoner will walk through the tunnel that is connecting to the Gaol straight to the reception area. First, they will log their details. Then, placed in one of the old cubicles, they were ordered to strip off their clothes and were photographed, bathed and marched to the basement area of D Wing overnight. Our tour guide Hannah, said they were washed to make sure that their tattoos were real. Many ex-prisoners have described their experience of this old Victorian reception as being cold and oppressive.

This is what it looks inside.

You can see the bag hanging in there.

And also some curvings with their names and group which gaves us the idea that they have sharp items to do such.

We were guided to the Governor's Office. This is the only room that has a carpet. John Forbes, the first appointed Governor.

Governor's Office

The Photograph of Prison Staff taken in the early 1900's.

The Tunnel

The tunnel that connects the gaol and the courthouse. An estimated of 25,000 prisoners walked through this tunnel between the early 1970's and when the gaol closed in March 31, 1996.

After that we went back inside the Gaol and guided to the cells. There are four wings A, B, C and D.

PRISON ROUTINE

6am - Rise
6am-7.30am - Wash & Clean cell
8am - Breakfast
8.30am-9am - Chapel
9am-12.30pm - Work
12.30pm - Dinner
1pm-6pm - Prison Work
6pm - Supper
7pm-9pm -Instruction
9pm- Lock-up

Straight to the C Wing, these are what you are going to see:

Principal Officer's Office

The Principal Officer (P.O) was responsible for the day to day running of the wing. He had approximately 10-20 prison officers under his command: numbers varied from wing to wing. He was answerable to the Chief Officer/Wing Governor.

The Holding and Parcel Cell

1846 Gaol Cell

Each cell is 13 feet long by 7 feet wide and 9 feet 10 inches high and originally had in it a water closet and fixed basin with.

The Padded Cell

The Padded Cell was use to house prisoners at risk of harming themselves, other inmates or staff. This cell (constructed in 1934) was originally housed in the B Wing.

The Punishment Cell

"The Boards" was the name given to a punishment cell: so called because of the rough wooden pallet used as a bed. during the day all bedding was removed, leaving the prisoner with only a bible, water container, mug and chamber pot.

Child Prisoners - 1870

While a law was introduced in 1860, preventing prisoners under 14 serving their full sentence in an adjltprison, it was not unusual for children to be sent to anadult prison for a short time to "scare them straight". At times, the experience was too much for younger prisoners and in 1871 a 14 year old boy took his own life in his cell.

1970/80's Cell

The start of the "The Troubles"(1969) and the introduction of internment without trial (August 1971), brought a sudden and dramatic increase in the prison population which was to last for many years.

Each cell was originally designed for a single occupancy and an inspection report (1849) recorded a capacity in this gaol for 320. However, during the 1970'/80's the prison population would reach nearly 1,400: it was not uncommon to find 3 prisoners to a single cell. During this time prisoners were taken from their cell for meals in dining halls adjoining the wings. There was still no sanitation in the cells: chamber pots were used.

The Wing Kitchen

The gaols main kitchens cooked and prepared the prisoners meals before delivering them to the wings in metal containers called "Dixies". These were kept warm on hot plates until serving.

Toilets

The Flogging Rack / Corporal Punishment

Rules for Corporal Punishment (1922-1968)

-(88) All corporal punishments within the prison shall be attended by the Governor and the Medical Officer (Doctor). The Medical Officer shall give such orders for preventing injury to health as he may seem necessary.

-(89) Corporal punishment, in the case of a prisoner over 18 years of age, shall be inflicted with a cat o'nine tails or a birch rodand in the case of a prisoner under the age of 18 years, with a birch rod.

-(90) The number of lashes or strokes inflicted on a prisoner over 18 years of age shall not exceed36, on a prisoner under 18 years of age, 18 lashes.

Political Prisoners

During the 19th century the Gaol imprisoned political prisoners, both Republican and Loyalist the political conflicts leads the closing of the Crumlin Road Gaol in 31st March 1996. The most famous political prisoner held was the President of the Irish Republic, Eamon de Valera during the troubles of 1919-22. He was imprisoned for a month in 1924 for breaching an order excluding him from Northern Ireland and was imprisoned for a second time in 1929. Also the Suffragettes were imprisoned in A Wing at the Crum during the agitation for votes for women before World War 1. These women were incarcerated in Crumlin Road Gaol, some embarked on a hunger and thirst strike in support of the right to vote.

ESCAPE ATTEMPTS

A total of 52 prisoners escaped from the Gaol. Including a successful episode in 1971, when over the course of a single 6 month period, thirteen prisoners escaped. The last successful escaped took place on 10th of June 1981 wherein 8 Republicans escaped from the holding hostage prison officers, solicitors and other prisoners using guns they had smuggled into the gaol. They left through the front gates.

The Condemned Man's Cell

Over the lifetime of the Gaol, 17 men were executed and their bodies buried within the prisons walls. It was part of their sentence - "to be buried in an unmarked grave, in consecrated ground."

Of the bodies buried here, 15 remain; two were exhumed in 1999 and 2001. On the boundary wall some of the men's initials can still be seen etched into the stone, the only visible record of their final resting places.

Before the day of execution, the condemned man can eat any food he likes, accept visitors, play cards and smoke with the officers inside the cell. Keep him happy before executed. 2 officers guarding him to make sure he not take his own life before his execution day. And he didn't now that the execution room is just a door beside his cell, the Drop Room.

You can see the 17 names executed in this room. 1961 was the last time a man was actually hanged at the Crumlin Road Gaol, but 2 men were sentenced to be executed as late as 1973. Their sentences were eventually commuted down to jail terms.

Being in that room I can imagined the condemned man with his head covered. And the feeling that the execution was cancelled because they are not dragging him outside the door and little did he know that the execution will happen just beside his room. I breathed heavily.

Watch this video:

Our last stop was the Gift Shop.

And this is my remembrance.

And to end this experience which I really appreciates, I will leave you this Johnny Depp quote,

"The beauty, the poetry of the fear in their eyes. I didn't mind going to jail for, what, five, six hours? It was absolutely worth it!"

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If you like what you've read. Upvote or Resteemed so others can read it too. What do you think of this post? I would love to hear your feedback, I will appreciates your comment. All pictures in this post are taken by Me. Informations were gathered at the tour, crumlin road gaol site and from this beautiful amazing guide, Hannah.

Also please check for more information about the Crumlin Road Gaol at their site http://www.crumlinroadgaol.com if you are interested.

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