Trick or Treat

It was fortunate that I had remembered it was halloween and had purchased some treats as there was a knock on the door this evening!

Blists Hill Victorian Town Museum, Telford

It was good to have a little time to attempt some photography with Ann. I had not been to the Blists Hill Victorian town for years, I think I may have even been a teenager!
Sadly, some vandals had got on site in the night and destroyed the interior of one of the dwellings smashing up items and lighting a fire on the table inside the cottage, a shed was smashed up and three windows were broken in the chapel.

HM Prison Shrewsbury

Since the closure of HM Prison Shrewsbury "Jailhouse tours" are on the offering and so off I went with camera in hand. Former prison warders now escort  visitors round the building explaining the procedures and life in a prison environment. It certainly was not very warm despite 30 of us being huddles into the admission cells. We were told to remember there had been overcrowding! Our attention was drawn to a blue padlocked gate, an entrance to an area formerly Edwardian prison cells that was to be part of future tours.

 The Dana Prison was built by Thomas Telford from the plans designed by the Shrewsbury architect, John Hiram Haycock in 1793 and closed in 2013. It was lately a class B and C male prison. The last female prisoner was held there in 1922. The bust above the entrance is of John Howard  ( 2 September 1726 - 20 January 1790) prison reformer. Between 1902 and 1961 there were seven hangings.  The former prison site on Howard Street often referred to as the Dana, adjacent to Shrewsbury railway station is near the site of the Dana Gaol, a medieval prison.

They hang us now in Shrewsbury jail:

The whistles blow forlorn,

And trains all night groan on the rail

To men that die at morn. 

A.E Houseman , A shropshire Lad

 

Two prison officers who have worked at the prison for most of their careers gave an informative and interesting tour providing insight in the "day in the life of a prisoner". They emphasized the importance of policy and procedure for both prisoners and officers and the importance of developing a relationship with the prisoners from different avenues of life.