Wicklow Gaol

Wicklow Gaol is a former prison, now a museum, located in the town of Wicklow, County Wicklow, Ireland.[1]

Wicklow Gaol
Priosúin Chill Mhantáin
Location in Ireland
Alternative namesThe Gates of Hell
General information
TypePrison
Architectural styleVictorian prison
AddressKilmantin Hill, Wicklow, County Wicklow
Coordinates52.978835°N 6.037132°W / 52.978835; -6.037132
Construction started1702
Completed1843
Renovated1995
Demolished1954 (partial)
Technical details
Materialslate, granite, red brick, timber, cast iron ,concrete
Floor count3
Design and construction
ArchitectWilliam Vitruvius Morrison

History

Prison

There has been a prison on the site since the late eighteenth century. Prisoners were held at Wicklow Gaol during the 1798 Rebellion and the Great Famine, as well as many held there prior to penal transportation.[2]

The prison was extended in 1822 to a design by William Vitruvius Morrison, and further extended 1842-3.

The prison was closed down by 1900 but reopened to hold republican prisoners during the Irish War of Independence and Irish Civil War; the last prisoners left in 1924.

Museum

In 1995 renovations began, and it reopened as a museum in 1998, claiming to be one of the world's most haunted buildings, due to the long history of suffering associated with it. The prison was featured on a 2009 episode of Ghost Hunters International.[3][4]

References
  1. Heritage, National Inventory of Architectural. "Additional Images: Buildings of Ireland: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage".
  2. "Wicklow gaol listed among the top 10 most haunted places in the world – WicklowNews".
  3. "'Haunted' Wicklow jail to feature on TV show". The Independent. 1 September 2010. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
  4. "Wicklow's Gaol". IMDB. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
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