A Famous Prison.

Hastings Standard, Issue 30, 1 June 1896, Page 4

A Famous Prison.

Perhaps the most interesting fact about the building of Wormwood Scrubs prison is that the plans for its construction were drawn out by a convict in his cell while undergoing the probation aly nine months to a long term of imprisonment. The man was originally an architect and among the foremost of his profession. He was a gentleman by birth and education but in early life* began to abuse his natural gifts, and at the time was undergoing his second term .of imprisonment for forgery. The completion of the work occupied him for nearly sis months, and was effected under great disadvantages. In place of i table, for instance, he had to pin his niper on the wall of his cell, mo r , _ u i round with the sun in orutr. to oliam the best light The prison authorities console this marvellous specimen of are> litectural • drawing the finest piece of wor k eV er done by an English cony" T r '■ft 3in. »- jV s ft. 6b„ b e : * P'cale of an hun«.>i_ ' i Oil ir.eh. * — ".displayed the greatest mu • .. •• 1 •id.e in the erection and C'~" the prison, which was : " - by convict labour. It contains i.bol separate cells for prisoners, which cost on an average £7O 7a. each, besides hospital wards and a chapel The total number of bricks required was 8-> ,000,000, each one being made by the convicts on the premie? or on some adjoining Land leased for the purpose. The iron castings were obtained from Portland or Chatham prisons, the granite from Dartmoor, and the Portland stone form Portland. The total cost of the prison was more than £97,000.