On one of my internet trawls I found this card for sale, and was surprised to learn that at one time there was a prison in the West Gorton area near to the Zoo which was also called Belle Vue.
It would be difficult to find a more inappropriate name for a gaol.
Has anyone else heard of the prison ?
Also known as the City/Borough Gaol. Opened in 1849 (now known not to be accurate) by the Borough of Manchester, it was mainly a short term gaol. The longest sentence was usually six months with many prisoners serving much shorter periods, although there are a few examples of prisoners serving as long as two years' imprisonment. However some longer sentences were doled out to military deserters. Both males and females were incarcerated here. It was also used for holding people on remand awaiting trial at the Assize court and those who had been sentenced to longer sentences who were awaiting transfer to a long term prison. Many of the prisoners were tried at the Quarter Sessions. Located on Hyde Road, the prison was demolished in 1892.
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- Belle Vue Prison
- Rear of the card
The Visiting Justices were constantly making reports about various faults in the prison, even complaining about the wrong type of tread mills being installed. As previously stated the prison was demolished in 1892, but it closed much earlier than that. Many sources state that the building was condemned because of mining subsidence. quote]
- Prison visiting committee
The Magistrates' Clerk read the 10th annual report of the Visiting Committee of Her Majesty's Prison, Hyde Road, which stated that on 24th May 1887, all the prisoners were removed from Hyde Road to Her Majesty's Prison at Strangeways, and from then until the present time all prisoners committed by the justices of the city have, by the discretion of the Secretary of State, been sent to Strangeways prison. The books and documents were likewise moved to Strangeways and Knutsford Prisons, as the committee are informed, by which removal the committee are unable to give the usual figures as to the number of prisoners committed and other particulars embodied in their reports. The Mayor said the reasons given for closing the gaol was that it was unnecessary to have three prisons open at Strangeways, Knutsford and Manchester. There was a diminution in the number of prisoners, which was a very happy state of things under the circumstances. Mr Beard asked whether it was not a fact that the foundations of the tower were giving away. The Mayor said he believed it was.BELLE VUE PRISON
Belle Vue Prison was situated two and a half miles from St. Ann's Square in the centre of Manchester.
The site on Hyde Road, West Gorton was chosen by the City Council in 1844 and consisted of 88,995 square yards. It was a part of the West Gorton Estate, and was purchased from Mr. David Harrison at a cost of £240,00 per acre.
On the Twenty Eighth of January 1846, the City Council approved the plans, the clay that was dug out for the foundations was used to make bricks, soon there was 7,000,000 on the ground.
In March 1847, the sewers were started, and the first bricks for the foundations were laid in June of the same year. A field between the Jail and the Manchester to Birmingham Railway was purchased, in order to get a branch line into the Jail from Longsight Station, requiring 352 lineal yards of rail. The area of land purchased was 7,200 square yards and cost one and a half pence per yard. A bridge that spanned this line stood at the top of Stowell Street and Hunters Lane and was known locally as 'The Monkey Bridge', this was demolished when Redgate Lane was built.
The Jail was completed in 1848, an inscription Tablet in the Jail read 'Armitage - Mayor - 1848'.
Captain Lane was appointed Governor at £350 per year.
The Rev. J. P. O'Leary appointed Chaplain at £250 per year.
Mr. Walker Golland appointed Surgeon at £125 per year.
Miss Betty Bailey appointed Matron at £50 per year.
The first prisoners were admitted in 1849. The walls of the prison were strongly buttressed. The entrance on Hyde Road consisted of a double doored Janitors Office and a Courtyard, after crossing this you came to a ponderous iron lined Portcullis which was raised and lowered by a windlass on a side wall, this was worked by a key handle kept by the Duty Warden. Once through the Portcullis there was a lawn to cross before coming to the main entrance. Inside there were Reception Rooms, Waiting Rooms, the Governor's Office, Magistrates Rooms, the Hospital and the Chapel.
The Jail was in four sections, A, B, C and D - A being the Women's Section, B, C and D being the Men's Sections. Section D ran off towards Belle Vue Gardens and the inmates could hear the Fireworks, music from the bands and the howls of their fellow captives in John Jennison's Menagerie.
Each section was built as a narrow arched passage way, 360 feet long and 50 feet high. There were three tiers of cells, each tier reached by a spiral staircase at each end.
Hyde Road Prison was not a capital sentence Prison, it was principally a short term Jail. It did not become a Government establishment until 1877, having until that time being in the ownership of Manchester Corporation.
In the year 1850, there were 23 untried, and 306 convicted males and 9 untried and 110 convicted females in the Jail, this was the count on October 10th that year.
In 1888/9, the Prison was declared unsafe, due to the foundations being damaged by the undermining operations of certain Colleries. After being condemned by the Surveyors, it was offered back to Manchester Corporation for £90,000, the offer was declined, so it was handed over to the Auctioneers. The sale of the Prison finally realised between Four and Five Thousand Pounds, the treadmills were sold for £110. Hyde Road Prison was demolished in 1890.Belle Vue Prison (Manchester Borough Gaol / Manchester City Gaol)
Belle Vue Prison (or Manchester Borough Gaol / Manchester City Gaol), Hyde Road, West Gorton was opened in 1849 by the Borough of Manchester. It was a short term Gaol, but it proved inadequate and some prisoners were still sent to the New Bailey Prison. It was demolished in 1892. The majority of prisoners were tried at the Manchester Magistrates Court or the Manchester Quarter Sessions.
Manchester Archives and Local Studies hold the prison registers 1850-1890 (some gaps) for the prison.
Extracts from some of the Prison register and the latest details of recent research can be found on the Manchester Family History Research website. The date the gaol opened and the date it closed are on this site, together with details of the appalling conditions. It was not a pleasant place and was never fit for its purpose.
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