Bodmin Jail stands on the edge of Bodmin Moor, on the eastern side of Bodmin. It was designed by Sir John Call and built in 1779 by prisoners of war, and it was the first British prison to hold prisoners in individual cells. It served for 150 years and closed in 1927; Cornwall has had no prison since.
The building's lives
More than 50 public hangings took place at the prison during its working life, and the building later held some of Britain's state papers: in 1918 and 1919 the Domesday Book was kept here. Few buildings have been asked to do more different work.
The jail today
Redevelopment began in 2015, and by 2021 the former prison had become a hotel alongside its visitor attraction. The original cells and the administration block remain, with a recreation of Bodmin Moor on the site of the old hospital wing. The jail has become, in the end, one of the places people come to Bodmin to see.
Sources
Last checked: 2026-10-11