Buy a prison flat – but don’t bring your car.
Shepton Mallet Prison has been lost to a developer’s viability plan, denying the town of its rightful share of a windfall heritage asset. It came down to a planning committee, with 8 voting for the proposal and 4 against. We now will have a 400 year old ancient prison of some significance being transformed into…
Read MoreShepton Mallet Prison’s Last Stand
January 2nd 2017 is the deadline for feedback on the latest plans for Shepton Mallet Prison. The prison was sold in January 2013 in a bid to save £63 million a year in running costs across six prisons. A timeline of the prison sale has been published here. Below is my objection to the latest…
Read MoreAn open letter to City & Country following the rejection of their plans for Shepton Mallet Prison – “please live up to the high standards and integrity you set yourself”
[For background information and a timeline of the prison sale, click here] Dear Tim and Helen, [Tim Sargeant, Owner of City & Country Group, Helen Moore, City & Country MD] Your plans for Shepton Mallet prison (146 homes and only 150 parking spaces) were rejected in part this week in an extraordinary planning board decision that…
Read MoreA history of selling an ancient prison in Shepton Mallet
January 2013: Justice Secretary Chris Grayling announced that Shepton Mallet would be one of seven prisons that would be closed in a bid to save £63 million a year in running costs across the six prisons. The proposed super prisons would be around 25% bigger than Britain’s existing largest facility and a feasibility study into…
Read MoreThe dark history at Shepton Mallet Prison during World War II? Was the Dirty Dozen inspired by Shepton Mallet’s gaol and were World War II US servicemen put to death because of their race?
Stephen Harding is an Army veteran, a long-time defence-affairs journalist and his New York Times best-seller “The Last Battle”— the true story of the only time in World War II when American and German troops joined forces and fought together—is currently in film production. Stephen is fascinated by the history of Shepton Mallet prison, researching…
Read More“Plushly renovated prisons make for secure, quirky homes with colourful histories”, but should the bodies stay or go?
The Daily Mail recently trumpeted that: “Plushly renovated prisons make for secure, quirky homes with colourful histories“. The article about Shepton Mallet Prison was discussing the merits of moving into a £125,000 cell turned flat with one or two bedrooms, up to £500,000 for a family — or gang-sized — four-bedroom home. While the idea of…
Read MoreShining a light on a vision for a town
Shepton was shining last night with around 100 lanterns made and paraded with pride from Collett Park to the Market Place. Young and old, long-standing residents and those new to the town reflect what Shepton IS. A creative community spirit clear to us all. A town with rich heritage, historic architecture of sheep farming, cloth…
Read MoreIs Shepton Mallet on the cusp of losing an important piece of its history and a potential heritage and tourism asset?
City & Country ran the third of four public consultations on the future use of Shepton Mallet Prison this week. Once again the foreboding Prison gates were swung open to a queue of people keen to get inside. This is a place that has shut out much of the local community since the 1600s,…
Read MoreHMP Shepton Mallet: Who Cares? Guest blog by Alison Carroll
I am going to start with a confession. I have only lived in the area for 15 years. I have no historic connection to Shepton Mallet. I have no connection to HMP Shepton Mallet. Do I care about the future of the place? Yes, but only in the sense that I care that it is…
Read MoreShepton Mallet Prison – If These Walls Could Speak. Guest blog by Alison Carroll
Much to my surprise the walls of the former HM Prison Shepton Mallet did speak to me on July 14th as I attended the second consultation event organised by City and Country ahead of the prison’s redevelopment. I was taken on a whirlwind tour of the exhibition and prison buildings by a very enthusiastic six…
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