Stirling Old Town Jail
Stirling Old Town Jail brings to life the harsh reality of Victorian prisoners. On your tour, you'll meet the Hangman, the Prison Warden, a Victorian Warden and a Convict. Played by live actors, the tour will shock you out of complacency. You'll be entering a time when shackling, public flogging and strict isolation were considered to be suitable punishments that would encourage reform. You can check out the cells and take great photos of Stirling Castle and the surrounding countryside from the roof. The Old Town Jail is also a great kids attraction. They can play with a Gird and Geek, dress up in jail costumes and follow their own special Kids Audio Tour.
Harsh as all this may seem, Stirling's Old Town was really a gross improvement on its predecessor, the Tollbooth. Prisoners there were cramped into tiny cells with no sanitary facilities to speak of. In comparison, prisoners in the Old Town Jail each had their own cell. Nevertheless this came at a price. As the convenient habit of shipping off prisoners to the New World had ceased, the Victorians believed they could reform the corrupt moral of unlawful citizens. As idle fingers are the devil's playmates, giving prisoners work was the solution. Prisoners therefore had to turn a crank 14,000 times before they deserved any supper. A simple 'turn of the screw' by a warden and this pointless task became far more difficult. The English language has never forgotten this and prison wardens are still called "Screws" in the UK.
Harsh as all this may seem, Stirling's Old Town was really a gross improvement on its predecessor, the Tollbooth. Prisoners there were cramped into tiny cells with no sanitary facilities to speak of. In comparison, prisoners in the Old Town Jail each had their own cell. Nevertheless this came at a price. As the convenient habit of shipping off prisoners to the New World had ceased, the Victorians believed they could reform the corrupt moral of unlawful citizens. As idle fingers are the devil's playmates, giving prisoners work was the solution. Prisoners therefore had to turn a crank 14,000 times before they deserved any supper. A simple 'turn of the screw' by a warden and this pointless task became far more difficult. The English language has never forgotten this and prison wardens are still called "Screws" in the UK.
