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Stirling Old Town Jail

Stirling Old Town Jail

Highlight • Historical Site

Stirling Old Town Jail

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Location: Mercat Cross, Stirling, Scotland, United Kingdom

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Brian

January 29, 2017

Hiking

The Old Town Jail was first opened in 1847. Located at the top of St. John Street, the jail paints a frightening picture of what it would have been like …

d.a.

April 16, 2025

Other activities

The prison, then called the "New County Jail," opened in November 1847 as a reformatory prison, almost directly adjacent to the Tolbooth (now a theater), then notorious as the worst prison in Britain. Through the work of Elizabeth Fry and other pioneering prison reformers, Frederick Hill was appointed Scotland's first Inspector of Prisons in 1840. He then commissioned the architect Thomas Brown to build the new prison according to William Brenner's "Separate System."
A visit is well worth it, as the first part of the tour is presented by actors who take on multiple roles.
More information here: oldtownjail.co.uk/history

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GirlOnAGravelBike

March 25, 2026

Hiking

Highly recommend the Escape Rooms based out of the Old Town Jail in Stirling!

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