History
Remnant of county gaol, now flats. 1830-2 by Thomas Penson, built to replace the former gaol above the Market Place, on land bought from Lord Powis in 1827. The gaol was designed to a standardised plan, cruciform, with the governors house at the centre of four wings. The male cells were ready by December 1832, the female cells apparently only in 1836. It had cost £10,000 by 1833 when described as being surrounded by walls of up to 6m (20') high, the governor's house was designed to overlook four wards and also the treadmill, which was double, to have one wheel in the felons' yard, the other in the vagrants' yard. It had six wards, each with airing yards, in two of which was the treadmill and engine house to pump the water supply. The infirmary was over the treadwheel and engine house. The chapel was above the governor's apartments, with separate entry from each ward. Beyond the chapel was a committee-room and two waiting rooms. On the roof over the entrance lodge was the place of execution. This is hard to match with the surviving buildings which comprise the octagonal centrepiece containing a full-height stair-well and some small rooms, a portion of the wall of a prison block running NW, the truncated ends of a range running SE, cut back with lean-to roofs and a range running forward to SW partly of stone but the end of rough brickwork. It is suggested that the NW prison block was rebuilt in 1864.
The original entry was from Chirbury Road with rear access from Gaol Road, but this became the new front access, across which a new gatehouse was built in 1866. The gaol closed in 1878 when the prison service was transferred to central government and sold for £1,450 to Mr Mytton, Welshpool wine merchant. Much was then demolished, the stone sold, much of it to W. G. James, to build Plas Offa by the old access from Chirbury Road.