Gloucester Prison | 3rd November 2017

Jailhouse tours organise the tour of Gloucester prison. The tours are conducted by ex-prison officers who share their interesting stories from when they worked at the prison. I found it very interesting learning all about the history of the prison and would definitely recommend a tour. They have development plans to turn this into flats in April 2018 so get booked if quick while you have the chance. Here is an artist impression of what they think the flats will look like.

Parking

There is no customer parking however there is a public car park on Ladybellegate street which is a five minute walk from the venue.

Accessibility

There is a ramp leading to the venue with double doors and there is a small reception point before entering the prison.
There are a few restricted areas due to stairs and the age of the building which I have highlighted in green on the map, I was able to access the first floor in B wing but the rest was inaccessible due to the stairs.

However, I was able to view most of the tour in my wheelchair. My guide advised me that we had to take a different route due to my wheelchair so before booking if you are in a wheelchair, advise a member of staff so they can accommodate for you.

There were quite a few tight corners and doorways, I was able to get around in my wheelchair but if you are in a wider wheelchair this may be an issue.

I was able to get a good insight into what life may have been like as a prisoner as I was able to view inside some of the cells and most areas to the prison.

Customer Service

When I emailed to enquire, Paul responded very quickly and was happy for me to assess the venue. Lucy gave me the tour of the prison on the day she was very informative polite and friendly and answered all of my questions.

Toilet

There was a disabled toilet but it was very old and there was no handrails so personally wouldn’t recommend it for a wheelchair user. The soap and hand dryer were also too high for a wheelchair user.

Accessibility Rating