Historical Society | The Inside Story of Northleach Old Prison

Many visitors to Northleach are aware of the Old Prison at the crossroads on the Fosseway, but not all of them – and perhaps not all residents either! – know the inside story of this eighteenth century “House of Correction”. On 1 April those who perhaps have not had the opportunity to enjoy a guided tour of the Old Prison with Michael Banks, or read his recent book, have the chance to hear him tell us how what was originally a model prison aimed at the rehabilitation of prisoners became something of a scandal in the nineteenth century, and how it later came to incorporate a court and police station before eventually housing the present Escape to the Cotswolds visitor centre, Rural Life Collection and Cotswold Lion Cafe.

The Historical Society meets on the first Wednesday of every month (except January and August) at 7.30 pm at the Westwoods Centre. Future talks include trade on the river Severn down the ages; the turbulent life of Bess of Hardwick, aka the Countess of Shrewsbury, the powerful Elizabethan who married four times, created Chatsworth, now the home of the Dukes of Devonshire, and is the star of Virginia Henley’s novel A Woman of Passion; and the story of the Merchant of Prato, the Tuscan merchant who played a leading role in the profitable medieval wool trade between Italy and the Cotswolds, including Northleach (known to the Italians as Norleccio).

Annual membership is £12 (£22 for two people at the same address), and visitors pay just £3 per talk.