re: The Gaol on Great Howard Street
As you probably know, Liverpools first Gaol was Liverpool Tower. The tower (shown in the picture below) was built largely in the 15th century and by the mid-1700s was in such a bad state that prisoners frequently escaped. There is still a small alleyway, next to St Nicholas church called Prison Weint.
In 1774 the tower was condemned and plans were stared to build a new 'modern' gaol. It was to be based on Newgate prison in London and one of the consultants on the scheme was John Howard - a great prison reformer who helped to make prison conditions better right across the UK. His name is commemorated in Liverpool in the name of the street that was built for the new gaol - Great Howard Street. From Wikimedia Commons
In 1793 the gaol was still not finished but 4000 french POWs were incarcerated there It wasn't until 1811 that it was finally used for prisoners of the city. The prison was designed with a cenral block with six radiating wings. This style was called the 'seperate-system' and was (according to Wikipedia) pioneered at the Eastern State Penitentiary, Pennsylvania USA in 1829. (shown below) From Wikimedia Commons
Here is a drawing of Great Howard Street from by WG Herdman in 1856.
From BM Collection
Its claim for being the 'first purpose built prison' sounds rather grand, but it is certainly an earlier example of the 'separate-system' prison than the Eastern State Pen and may be the first of that type.
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I doubt there is a photo of it, looking at my maps from about 1865 it seems to have gone by then and Kirkdale Prison has been built.
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