ENN110541 - Prisons Project, 1995-1998 (Architectural survey)

The Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England has launched a major new national project on the architectural history of England's prisons. With the support and encouragement of HM Prison Service, the RCHME will carry out a three-year study of the full range of the prison service estate. The study was prompted by the major rebuilding programme which is now going on to improve sanitation and relieve overcrowding. This work will inevitably have an impact on the historic fabric of prisons, many of which date from the Georgian or Victorian eras. Screened from public view by high walls, these little-known buildings have evolved their own distinctive character. At the end of the survey, material will be jointly published by the RCHME and HM Prison Service, charting the architectural history of England's prisons in detail for the first time