HM Prison Crumlin Road facts for kids
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| Location | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
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| Status | Museum |
| Security class | High |
| Capacity | Variable |
| Opened | 1846 |
| Closed | 31 March 1996 |
HMP Belfast, also known as Crumlin Road Gaol, is an old prison located on the Crumlin Road in north Belfast, Northern Ireland. It's often called the Crum by local people. This building is special because it's the only Victorian era prison (meaning it was built during Queen Victoria's reign, from 1837 to 1901) left in Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland Environment Agency has given this prison a special "Grade A listed building" status. This means it's a very important building because of its amazing design and long history. Right across the road from the Gaol is the Crumlin Road Courthouse. This courthouse is now empty, but it used to be connected to the prison by a secret tunnel under the main road. Prisoners were taken through this tunnel between the two buildings.
Contents
History of Crumlin Road Gaol
Building the Prison
The Crumlin Road Gaol was designed by a famous architect named Sir Charles Lanyon. It was built between 1843 and 1845 and cost about £60,000, which was a huge amount of money back then! This new prison was built to replace an older one in Carrickfergus. It was known as the County Gaol for Antrim.
The prison was built using strong, dark basalt rock. It covered ten acres of land at the bottom of Crumlin Road. Its design was partly based on HM Prison Pentonville in England. This made it one of the most modern prisons of its time.
Prison Design and Cells
The prison has a five-sided outer wall. Inside, there are four wings, each up to four storeys high. These wings spread out from a central area called "The Circle."
When it first opened, the prison was designed to hold between 500 and 550 prisoners. Each cell measured about 12 by 7 feet (365 cm by 213 cm). It was the first prison in Ireland to use "The Separate System." This system aimed to keep prisoners apart from each other, so they couldn't talk or communicate. However, later on, especially in the early 1970s, up to three prisoners were sometimes kept in one cell.
First Inmates and Children
The first 106 prisoners arrived in 1846. They were forced to walk all the way from Carrickfergus Prison, wearing chains. These first inmates included men, women, and even children. In the early years, many children from poor families were sent to the gaol for small crimes, like stealing food or clothes.
Women prisoners were kept in a separate block until the early 1900s. In 1914, some brave women who fought for women's right to vote, called suffragettes, were also held here. These included Dorothy Evans and Madge Muir.
From Prison to Museum
The Crumlin Road Gaol closed its doors as a working prison in 1996. It stayed empty for many years. Then, in August 2010, a big project was announced to restore the building.
In November 2012, the prison reopened as a fun place for tourists to visit. It also became a conference centre and now even hosts concerts! In 2014, Queen Elizabeth II herself visited the museum, which was a very special event.
