But I remember it was very high up and it was small, and I remember standing, because it was the morning I had to go to court, and then I knew I wasn’t coming back, so I remember standing in my tiptoes on the table to get that fresh air because it was roasting hot, really warm, it was like five or six in the morning, that lovely fresh breeze in the morning. And standing on top of my tiptoes and seeing a seagull on top of the flagpole, and going “good morning, Mr Seagull, how are you doing?” And just looking at the turrets across. And was sort of saying “well, goodbye, maybe someday I’ll be seeing you again sometime.
We want to understand what these prisons are like to live and work in, and how has this changed over time. We are examining the ways that these prison buildings carry traces of the past, while operating in the present day.
The project considers how and why these buildings have survived for so long, and asks how we will know when they have reached the end of their operational lives. We consider the significance of the Victorian prison in shaping public and professional ideas of what prison should be like. Crucially, this project explores the implications of the continued operation of Victorian-era prisons for the contemporary prison service, and aims to inform policy development.