Crumlin Road Gaol History, Travel Information, Facts And More
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PERSONAL INFORMATION
NAME
Crumlin Road Gaol
COUNTRY
United Kingdom
ADDRESS
53-55 Crumlin Rd, Belfast BT14 6ST, United Kingdom
CRUMLIN ROAD GAOL PICTURE
More Information
About Crumlin Road Gaol
Crumlin Road Goal is an A-list former jail located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Its long history of 150 years dealt with imprisonment, conflict and executions. The site has seen many prisoners, many deaths and tragedies. Today, it is a very popular tourist attraction and museum. People often wander here to take a peek at history and others for their paranormal interest.
Some Lesser Known Facts About Crumlin Road Gaol
- The Prison is a black basalt and red sandstone structure built between the years 1843 and 1845. It was designed by Sir Charles Lanyon. There are guided tours available today to the public from the tunnel linking the courthouse on the other side of the Crumlin Road to the hanging cell, Governor's office, hospital and graveyard.
- Built within a five-sided walled site, the gaol had four wings fanning out from a central area known as The Circle. The prison has been witness to imprisonments, executions, escapes, hunger-strikes and riots. The first execution to take place here was of a soldier named Robert Henry O?Neill. His body and 14 others, are still interred in unmarked graves within the grounds of the Gaol.
- It became the first prison in Ireland to be designed for 'The Separate System' of confinement, where the prisoners were separated from each other and never allowed to interact. It was built to house between 500 and 550 prisoners in single-cell accommodation, each cell measuring 12 by 7 feet, and 10 feet in height.
- Women and children have also been held at the Goal, as well as loyalists and republicans. The Suffragettes in 1914 were held in the new addition of the building called the A-wing. Children were imprisoned for stealing food and clothing. And like any other jail, escape attempts were made here as well. Some of the successful jailbreaks were those by IRA prisoners.
- The gates of the Goal were shut on March 31st, 1996 by Governor of Belfast. It underwent massive restoration and reconstruction process and opened to the public as a museum. Today, the site also hosts concerts and other events.
- It doesn't come as a surprise that with its long and tragic history and unmarked graves and executions, the site would be suspected to haunting. Visitors have often reported hearing strange sounds and disembodied cries and whispers. A man walking down the "C wing" and disappearing has been seen by a lot of people. The site is filled with sadness and grief.
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