History

Remnant of county gaol, now flats. 1830-2 by Thomas Penson, built to replace the former gaol above the Market Place, on land bought from Lord Powis in 1827. The gaol was designed to a standardised plan, cruciform, with the governors house at the centre of four wings. The male cells were ready by December 1832, the female cells apparently only in 1836. It had cost £10,000 by 1833 when described as being surrounded by walls of up to 6m (20') high, the governor's house was designed to overlook four wards and also the treadmill, which was double, to have one wheel in the felons' yard, the other in the vagrants' yard. It had six wards, each with airing yards, in two of which was the treadmill and engine house to pump the water supply. The infirmary was over the treadwheel and engine house. The chapel was above the governor's apartments, with separate entry from each ward. Beyond the chapel was a committee-room and two waiting rooms. On the roof over the entrance lodge was the place of execution. This is hard to match with the surviving buildings which comprise the octagonal centrepiece containing a full-height stair-well and some small rooms, a portion of the wall of a prison block running NW, the truncated ends of a range running SE, cut back with lean-to roofs and a range running forward to SW partly of stone but the end of rough brickwork. It is suggested that the NW prison block was rebuilt in 1864.
The original entry was from Chirbury Road with rear access from Gaol Road, but this became the new front access, across which a new gatehouse was built in 1866. The gaol closed in 1878 when the prison service was transferred to central government and sold for £1,450 to Mr Mytton, Welshpool wine merchant. Much was then demolished, the stone sold, much of it to W. G. James, to build Plas Offa by the old access from Chirbury Road.

Exterior

Centrepiece of former cruciform gaol. Local green squared stone with scars of painted brick where the wings have been removed. Deep flat eaves to slate hipped octagonal roof with corniced stone chimneys on the longer NW and SE slopes. This was formerly at the centre of four wings of which there remain only the altered SW range, and the truncated SE range and the tall SW wall of the NW cell block.
The original architecture is best seen on the four diagonal facets which are of stone with raised plinth and eaves course, and 16-pane sash in flush surround to each floor. Doorways in W and S facets with C20 doors. The main faces are all in different ways damaged. The NE side and NW side have painted brickwork with few openings. The NE side has stonework in the gable presumably as visible above the roof (as on the SW). NW side has a cast-iron blocked doorcase at ground floor and the wall of the former cell block runs NW from right corner. One bay with door with barred overlight and barred window above then a short canted section of wall, then main W front has four small barred windows to ground floor and one above to right, as rest of the first floor has been taken down (in 1983 wall was much larger extending further NW, described as with three tiers of six small iron barred window openings with ashlar lintels and frames). Former inside is brick faced.
SW range is in two parts: a short first original part comes forward from the octagonal core with a pediment visible above the roof of the second part, and below the main eaves. It has a parapet and cornice to the sides, the left NW side with stone framed window on each of three floors, ground floor of brick, the right SE side obscured by a painted brick curved stair projection. The attached lower two-storey SW wing of stone and brick looks much altered but stonework continues from the pedimented section to a certain extent. SE side has stone above string course on right, one 16-pane sash in stone surround, ground floor has two brick arches, one with modern glazing, the other with recessed stone arch to a short window. NW side has an added single storey gabled outbuilding and an arched opening to ground floor right. The plain brick SW gable has a 16-pane sash window each floor with cambered head.
SE side has two-storey lean-to, presumably the remains of the S range as the end walls are of stone and the join to the centre block has a canted step as on opposite side. The front is now of painted brick with centre chimney flanked by 12-pane sash and small 9-pane sash. A two-storey stone lean-to on NE side has narrow sash in SE return. Ground floor SE has lower lean-to with stone ends and front wall mostly stone but brick infill at right, with modern door and window. SW end of lean-to is stepped out.

Interior

Cantilevered stone staircase in NW corner with iron straight balusters, thin ramped rail, up to cantilevered stone first floor landing. Late C20 new stair up to second floor. Doors in wooden architraves at ground and first floors.
Moulded cornice to top of stair hall. Groined vaulting in two rooms of SW wing.

Reasons for Listing

Included for its special historic interest as the surviving portion of an earlier C19 county gaol.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29486861

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  The Shredded Chef: 120 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)