
Harrold Old Gaol - The Green, Harrold, Bedfordshire, UK
Posted by:
Dragontree
N 52° 12.044 W 000° 36.596
30U E 663332 N 5786057
In the village of Harrold, Bedfordshire, on the green is an old gaol.
Waymark Code: WM33P1
Location: Eastern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 02/04/2008
Views: 44
The lock-up in Harrold is one of the finest of its type in the country and is regarded as the best remaining example in Bedfordshire.
Featuring the common round shape and spire in its design, the structure was built in 1824. A major refurbishment was undertaken in the 1990s after it was revealed that the stones, mortar and woodwork had all deteriorated.
Despite the nature of the building as a place of incarceration, there is a humorous side to the lock-up. In 1967 a local man won a bet after being locked inside the cramped, dark interior. The bet started as a result of a discussion in the Odell pub The Bell, where drinkers argued that people today would never survive a night in such squalid conditions. George Knight, a local window cleaner, believed that they could and proved his opinion by spending 48 hours and one second in the lockup.
This information is available thanks to this website.