Inveraray Jail

📌 Inveraray, Argyll & Bute
★★★

Inveraray used to be Argyll’s most important settlement, and therefore also the location for the county jail from the mid 1700s onwards. Less than a century later the “old” Town House prison was superseded by a new courthouse and cell block: the latter a model example for hygiene and relative comfort for prisoners at the time. As the village’s importance declined, so did the importance of the prison buildings, and they closed in 1889. Exactly a century later the courthouse and prisons, both old and new, re-opened to “inmates” – this time as paying customers – forming one of remote Argyll’s most unusual visitor attractions. Although it’s quite expensive and some of the displays seem a little dated, you can explore an extensive area including dozens of prison cells, the impressive courtroom, airing yard, exercise galleries, warden’s accommodation, small exhibition area and more. Admission includes a detailed audio guide incorporating stories about individual prisoners and the buildings’ histories. We didn’t test out the many torture / punishment devices left lying around accompanied by signs saying “Please try”… perhaps health and safety haven’t got to this corner of Scotland yet? 😉