Are You Brave Enough for Jail Tours and Ghost Walks?

Are You Brave Enough for Jail Tours and Ghost Walks?

Man holding the rails of a prison facilityThere is a growing interest among tourists on the uncommon—specifically the paranormal. This interest leads to ghost hunting, which involves touring some of the most infamous spots in the world to search for paranormal activity. People believe that spirits still reside in these places, where violent deaths occurred, or mass killings were perpetrated. Prison tours in the UK, for example, are organised as part of both ghost hunting and historical tours.

Historical tours and penal facilities

There is much to be learned from these Victorian prisons, including the famous jail guards, inmates or executioners who stayed there. Historical walks include stopovers in prisons like Bodmin Jail in Cornwall, Gloucester Prison in Gloucester, The Tower of London, and the Malmaison in Oxford. The latter is now a shopping and hotel complex after the prison facility was shut down in 1996.

The historical tours give the public insight on how criminal law evolved in the olden days as well as how prisoners were punished. In the Bodmin Jail, prisoners were said to have hanged for what society would consider today as petty crimes or mere misdemeanours. Times were certainly different back then.

Haunted places

Bodmin Jail is considered as one of the most haunted jailhouses in the UK. It was built during the Victorian era by Sir John Call. Finished in 1779, the structure featured vaulted ceilings, carved wood panels, and was outfitted with a heating and cooling system.

Its most famous spot is called the Execution Pit, where hundreds of prisoners were hanged. The pit was excavated and renovated in 2005 with the help of Gary Ewart, an expert in hanging. This prison made use of the ‘Long Drop’ method where prisoners were made to drop from a height to ensure immediate death.

To this day, ghost hunters believe that the spirits of the prisoners who were executed here still roam the premises. Among the famous inmates was Selina Wadge, who was one of only four female inmates killed here. She was meted the death sentence for drowning one of her sons in a well.

If ghost hunting is what you need to get your adrenaline pumping, you should check out the organised tours for prison facilities in the UK. Be sure to pay Bodmin Jail a visit.

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