Warwick Prison, Cape Road, Warwick

1 The prison was built c1860 to replace the gaol at Shire Hall; it was used until 1915 and demolished in 1933. The route of the perimeter wall is perpetuated, more or less, by the street plan and property boundaries of the housing which replaced the prison. In 1865 there were two yards, four day rooms and 309 cells for criminals and four yards, five dayrooms and 43 sleeping rooms for debtors. There are two rooms along Cape Road which were part of this complex: the Governor’s House (which in the 1960’s was a public house) situated on one side of the main gate, and a building which subsequently became the Wedgenock Dairy and was situated on the norternmost corner of the prison. Both these buildings are distinguished by the use of dark grey engineering brick. 1925 1:2500 OS Map shows buildings.
2 Annotated Aerofilms aerial photograph from 1920 showing location of prison dairy at extreme NW corner and the Governor’s House at the northern entranceway.