Shrewsbury Prison

School Trips @ Jailhouse Tours

Jailhouse Tours operates two decommissioned prisons, Shrewsbury and Shepton Mallet. We are passionate about maintaining the history and heritage of the sites whilst providing a fantastic educational platform. Many of our current schools visit us to study crime and punishment through the ages, Victorian history, capital punishment, rehabilitation and the effects of crime on the victims and families. Our tours can be adapted according to your needs; workshops can be included along with a tour of the jail and/or a fully immersive 'prisoner experience'

In summary - if you give us a brief we will do our upmost to fulfill it

Why are Jailhouse Tours great for School Trips and Educational Visits?

There are very few prisons in this country that are open to the public. We don't offer gimmicks just a real Victorian prison. The tours can vary in length from 2 to 3 hours and a workshop session is an option. On view are 2 wings of the prison, both with 3 landings, the constant watch cells, the segregation area, healthcare, the exercise yards and the hanging room including the cell where the condemned prisoner spent his last night. This can be excluded from the tour if preferred.

The tour will be adapted according to school year and what you, as a teacher, want to achieve. As well as being educational some organisations will use the experience as a preventative tool - bringing the harsh reality of prison life home

We encourage questions. Many of our visits are led by ex prison officers who know all the answers!

What activities are available during group visits?

Tour of the prison including areas as listed above. The time is split between the officer addressing the students and Q & A sessions
Workshops
Immersive prison experience

What size groups do you cater for?

From 8 to 120

Do you offer on-site classroom facilities?

Yes we do. We have so much space at the prison!

Is there first aid on site?

Yes

Do you offer access for visitors with disabilities?

As a traditional prison with lots of stairs between the landings we don't offer wheel chair access

Do you cater for visitors with Special Educational Needs (SEN)?

Yes, we do. We would to have a chat with you prior to the visit to see if we can fulfill your criteria

Anything else?

The feedback we receive from schools is first class with teachers telling us that the pupils were very engaged, imaginations were fired and lessons, on every level, were learnt

Teacher Checklist

Risk Assessments

UK Location

Need more inspiration?

We are bursting with ideas on places that deliver first class teaching both outside the classroom and as in-school workshops. Below are a few similar suggestions to Jailhouse Tours , or head to our tailor-made trip form and let us know how we can help you!