31. mei, 2019

Littledean Jail and Museum of Crime

First a little history: Littledean Jail was one of the ''most up-to-date, revolutionary houses of correction'' of it's time. The prison's first inmate was a 19-year old laborer charged with stealing a spade, but went on to include prostitutes, arsonists, murderers, and even children as young as 8, and the last woman to be tried for ''witchcraft'' in Gloucestershire. Converted first to a policestation and stables, used as a set of the Hammer Horror film ''The House of Whipcord'', and later as a storage facility, in 2003 the 200-year old prison was bought by current owner Andy Jones. Jones moved into one wing of the prison with his wife and six children and turned the other into something rather appropriate for the space: a crime museum. Apparently Jones is rather despised by the local Forest of Dean Council, but I think he's bringing in a lot of tourists in an otherwise sleepy town. 

In my opinion not just merely a crime museum, but a museum in the best dime-freakshow tradition, holding anything from voodoo dolls, freaks of nature, banned toys, Nazi SS uniforms, autographed and signed materials from criminals to Sadam Hussein's toilet seat. Frankly I didn't know where to look, it's just too much stuff. The collector in me became quite excited looking at all of this. I have always been interested, and who isn't, in the criminal, curious and creepy. But this black museum is not for the faint of heart...

Source: atlasobscura.com