Building record 0045202000 - HM PRISON GATEWAY, BIERTON HILL

Summary

Nineteenth century gateway to HM Prison, built in 1845

Protected Status/Designation

  • Listed Building (II) 1117983: Prison gate, former governor's house and chaplain's house, HM Prison Aylesbury (Aylesbury Gaol)

Map

Type and Period (3)

  • GATEHOUSE (Built 1845, 19th Century - 1800 AD to 1899 AD)
  • OFFICIAL RESIDENCE (Built 1845, 19th Century - 1800 AD to 1899 AD)
  • CHAPLAINCY (Built 1845, 19th Century - 1800 AD to 1899 AD)

Description

Grade II. A prison gate, flanked by the houses of the governor (east) and chaplain (west). Dated 1845 on the frieze above the gate and designed by Charles James Pierce and Major J Jebb. Red brick with stucco quoins and dressings and an E-shaped plan. The central, tall arch has a massive, rusticated doorway with a portcullis motif in the tympanum. The prominent frieze has a dentil cornice, above which is a blocking course. There is a small, wooden bell turret to the roof. At either side are recessed, two-storey, three-sash-window wings with wide window surrounds and deep, stucco parapets. Beyond these the projecting end blocks each have two taller storeys with first floor sill bands. Three sashes in wide surrounds and central doorways. Above each are a frieze, modillion cornice and blocking course.
Aylesbury Gaol holds a significant place in the campaign for women’s suffrage. It housed a number of suffragette prisoners arrested during mass demonstrations by the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), a militant suffrage organisation whose members used direct action in support of their campaign for the vote. In March 1912 suffragettes carried out a mass window-smashing raid in London. Holloway Gaol, the usual prison for suffragettes, could not cope with the numbers arrested, so many were sent to Aylesbury. On 5 April, the prisoners began a secret hunger strike which went undetected for several days, and when the authorities found out, hunger strikers were fed by force, although four were released on health grounds.
The Aylesbury hunger strike spread to other prisons to become the largest mass hunger strike undertaken by suffragettes, with over eighty prisoners taking part. Aylesbury became the focus for protests against forcible feeding and on 13 April 1912 over 100 protesters marched on the gaol to hold a meeting at the gates. Suffragette prisoners waved handkerchiefs from their cell windows.
This list entry was amended in 2018 as part of the centenary commemorations of the 1918 Representation of the People Act.
Sources
Books and journals
Burning to Get the Vote: The Women's Suffrage Movement in Central Buckinghamshire, 1904-1914, (2013)
Brodie, Croom, Davies, , English Prisons, (2002), 100, 102
Pevsner, N, Williamson, E, Buildings of England: Buckinghamshire, (1994), 156 (B5).
Buildings report dated Jun 1995 - Sep 1997 held at NMR (B7).

Sources (8)

  • <1>SBC5624 Bibliographic reference: Robert Gibbs. 1882. BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, A LIST OF LOCAL OCCURENCES VOL 4 (1841-80) P42. Vol 4.
  • <2>SBC14465 Bibliographic reference: SHEAHAN PP75-76.
  • <3>SBC509 Verbal communication: ARP 1977 (JULY) PERS COMM.
  • <4>SBC1995 Article in serial: 1962. BUCKS ADVERTISER (16TH FEB 1962) LETTER FROM G A OSTERFIELD (COPY IN CAS FILE 4701).
  • <5>SBC3590 Bibliographic reference: DoE. 1973. LIST OF BUILDINGS OF SPECIAL ARCHITECTURAL OR HISTORIC INTEREST. p1; amended 31st May 2018.
  • <6>SBC4963 Unpublished document: Mike Farley (BCM). 1992. AUGUST 1992 FIELD VISIT (SEE NOTE FILED).
  • <7>SBC23358 Unpublished document: English Heritage. 2006. NMR Buildings Reports. BF093732.
  • <10>SBC23108 Bibliographic reference: Allan Brodie, Jane Groom & James O Davies. 2002. English Prisons: An Architectural History. pp100, 102;Fig 4.16.

Location

Grid reference SP 82688 14449 (point)
Civil Parish AYLESBURY, Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire

Finds (0)

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

Related Events/Activities (0)

Record last edited

Jan 31 2021 4:39PM

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