Newcastle Prison: A History 1828 – 1925 (Tyne Bridge Publishing)

Published 4 August

By Patrick Low (video and web designer Hellow.co), Shane McCorristine (Newcastle University), Helen Rutherford (Northumbria University) and Clare Sandford-Couch (Leeds Beckett University)

£14 from Newcastle Libraries, North East bookshops, Waterstones, and Amazon and (for a limited time) £12.99 from the Newcastle Gaol website: https://newcastlegaol.co.uk/shop

Beneath the cover of darkness on a cold October night in 1925, the bodies of 12 executed men were quietly moved from the yard of the newly-closed Newcastle Prison and reburied in All Saints Cemetery in Jesmond. This event marked a last chapter in the life of Newcastle Prison. Celebrated as a cutting-edge facility designed by acclaimed architect John Dobson, the prison opened in 1828 to much fanfare. It quickly became infamous for its overcrowded and unsanitary conditions and when it closed in 1925, it was deemed a dismal failure, and today, no trace of the structure remains.

This year is the 100^th anniversary of the demolition of the Prison which stood where Carliol House is today. When you drink coffee in Tiny Tiny cafe, dance at World Headquarters or workout on the tread mill at Body Zone, think of the men, women and children who occupied the space before you…

The book invites you to explore stories and images from the lives of the inmates, and the staff, who lived and worked within the prison walls. Featuring stories, alongside specially commissioned 3D modelled images of the prison, the book draws on detailed archival research and the latest digital techniques to offer a unique and revealing insight into the prison's architectural and social development.

You are invited to attend the book launch at Newcastle City Library on 21 August at 6:30 PM

(With specially composed music and wine) Free tickets via Eventbrite http://www.tiny.cc/newcastleprisonbooklaunch

Helen Rutherford

Northumbria University Law School