Shepton Mallet prison visit

What better time to visit a prison Than at christmas? I thought so anyway so I hopped on the bus and headed west.

[@karenlipman7545]

Interesting local history thank you.

[@GlastonburyGabriel]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Gez-C]

Great video! Did a marathon around the prison on several occasions

[@GlastonburyGabriel]

Ah a fit person 😀 I vaguely remember that 🤣

[@bigfoot3228]

I worked at Shepton prison doing theatre work about 20 years ago… Travelling from Glastonbury, it was like going from heaven to hell… one of the inmates wrote and performed a play about the execution of the American servicemen during the war…

[@GlastonburyGabriel]

That is really interesting I bet you have some fascinating stories to tell

[@patriciaangeles4816]

Good vid as always and I do hope they sort themselves out. I know a lot of paranormal teams like to visit that location so it would be a shame to close it.

[@GlastonburyGabriel]

The good news is the have had a reprieve and they are not now closing 😀😀

[@Carnivalvibes]

I go here for ghost hunts, very interesting place & very creepy.

[@GlastonburyGabriel]

It is very creepy in places

[@stationmasterschoice-walku1307]

Definitely not your usual fayre, Gabe. But, nonetheless, it is important to record all aspests of our history, good or bad. You might possibly have got here just in time, by the sounds of it? it will be interesting to see what happens to the site.

[@GlastonburyGabriel]

Absolutely!!

[@Sidghengiskhan]

student loans finally caught up with you!

[@GlastonburyGabriel]

Yea that and a life of crime 🤣🤣

[@williamsdaf]

Does Prison Work? It looked like it worked at dehumanising people. Not much rehabilitation going on within those walls.

[@lonniemcguire1343]

Well it's not a 4 star penthouse.

[@williamsdaf]

@@lonniemcguire1343 Thank you Michael Howard.

[@lonniemcguire1343]

@williamsdaf can't do the time, don't do the crime.

[@williamsdaf]

"During the early years, the House of Correction consisted of rather primitive conditions. Prisoners were not necessarily separated by the seriousness of crime committed, and often men, women and children would be held together. The poor conditions and the lack of a wage being paid to the gaolers resulted in lax discipline, and promiscuous and drunken behaviour. Primitive sanitation led to regular outbreaks of diseases such as gaol fever." Rather than using lengthy prison sentences as the punishment, fines, transportation, corporal and capital punishments were more commonly used. In fact, by the end of the 1700s, over 200 crimes were punishable by the death penalty; this was known as the Bloody Code. Americans fighting against the Nazis in WW2 facing the death penalty in Shepton Mallet Prison. @@lonniemcguire1343

[@GlastonburyGabriel]

Now that is a whole new can of worms right there. I decided to look a the prison itself and its history as the does prison work question is way too big for a short video

[@dianaschraven5715]

🙈🙈🙈🙈

[@GlastonburyGabriel]

😀😀😀

[@johnfoster7996]

Did not enjoy this at all Gabriel. Such a far cry from your customary freedom celebrating videos.

[@GlastonburyGabriel]

hey John. I did think long and hard about this video. I understand prisons are not traditional Christmas fare and I also understand that many feel that prisons are not the answer. However this is an historic site and the final resting place for some and, at the time of filming was set to close to the public on 2nd January. So I took the decision to film it for those reasons. I hope this helps you understand my thinking. Have a great Christmas

[@johnfoster7996]

I fully understand Gabriel and all power to your elbow for making this valuable historical record.