The Blind House – Maddington Street, Shrewton, Wiltshire, UK
N 51° 11.639 W 001° 54.231
30U E 576594 N 5671967
At the roundabout on the A360 where Salisbury Road and Maddington Street meet in Shrewton, this old prison can be seen. It has a plaque detailing its purpose in English, French and German.
Waymark Code: WMEB9Y
Location: Southern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 05/01/2012
Views: 8
The plaque reads:
‘THE BLIND HOUSE
Village criminals were kept in this
18th Century prison
Les malfaiteurs du village étaient
incarcérés dans cette prison du XVIII siècle
Die Verbrecher vom Dorfe Wurden in
dieses im achtzehnten jahrhundert erbaute
Genfangnis eingesperrt
Property of Shrewton Parish Council
Protected by law as an Ancient Monument
Silver Jubilee Year 1977’
Wiltshire Council describes the prison here: visit link
‘The blind house, or lock-up, is said to have been built c.1700. It is by the river bridge in Maddington Street and probably used mainly to house prisoners overnight when they were on their way from the Assize Courts in Devizes to Fisherton Gaol. The blind house was damaged by a tank during the Second World War and rebuilt afterwards, while in the 1980s it was moved back from the road edge to prevent further damage by lorries.
Built c.1700 this was used for housing prisoners overnight on their journey from Devizes to Fisherton Goal at Salisbury. The accompanying constables would have lodged in an inn or ale house. It would also have been used for the temporary incarceration of local wrongdoers. They were called blind houses because they had no windows. The blind house was damaged by a tank in the Second World War and repaired, but damage by lorries in the 1970s and 1980s caused it to be moved further back from the road and rebuilt in the 1980s.’
The relocation of The Blind House due to road widening is shown in a photograph on the details of the geocaches associated with the location: visit link
The Blind House was Grade II Listed on 18th February 1958 as shown here: visit link (Where my photograph can also be seen.)