County Gaol / H.M. Prison, Lewes, Sussex

This prison receives all prisoners from the eastern division of the county, that at Battle being quite disused, and the prison at Hastings, since,the murder of its gaoler, has sent hither all untried prisoners fully committed, receiving them back for trial. Of the local jurisdictions in the county, Rye still keeps most of its prisoners; Winchelsea would send its prisoners if it had any; and Brighton sends all prisoners when committed for trial or summarily convicted, receiving back the former for trial. There were fourteen prisoners belonging to Brighton for trial at the sessions at the time of my visit, and five had been bailed since their committal.

The number of prisoners, as well as the average daily number, has lately increased, for although the Criminal Justice Act would alone have the effect of diminishing the average daily number, the longer sentences passed at sessions since the discontinuance of transportation more than compensates for its operation.

The prison is of recent date and good construction, having its cells certified for separate confinement. The accommodation for prisoners is as follows:—

There is a good laundry and wash-house; the kitchen is rather low, but in other respects convenient.

The cells throughout the prison are provided with registers communicating with the corridor, by far the best mode of regulating the warmth and ventilation; but in many instances their action is defeated by the cells having also windows permanently open.

The employments in which the prisoners were engaged were the following:—

A complaint was made by a prisoner that a letter of his had been stopped by the Governor. I saw the letter, which was a very improper one, and one which, in my opinion, the Governor was fully justified in stopping.

Another complaint made to me had more foundation,— namely, that the prisoners are not allowed any exercise on Sundays. By Rule 52 of the Regulations certified by the Secretary of State for this prison, it is enjoined that every prisoner shall have one hour’s exercise in the yard daily, or, if his sentence be of six mouths’ duration or upwards, two hours. I found on inquiry that this rule is not complied with, and as it is material that it should be observed, I here record the omission.

The chaplain performs Divine Service three times on Sundays, twice for the men and once for the women, with a sermon to the prisoners of either sex. On week-days there is one service for the men at 9 A.M.; the Chaplain reading a selection from the Liturgy and ten or twelve verses from the Gospels, which he expounds in a familiar way. For the evenings of the week there is no service, but the prisoners are supposed to read a short form of prayer which is pasted into their prayer-books. The women never go into the chapel except on Sundays, but the schoolmaster reads prayers to them every morning in the corridor of their prison, and on the evenings of Tuesday and Friday, prayer and an exposition of Scripture are performed by the chaplain, the governor acting as clerk. The chaplain passes between seven and eight hours daily in the prison.

The chaplain speaks very favourably of the zeal and efficiency of the schoolmaster and schoolmistress. There is a good miscellaneous library of books, as well as the usual supply of religious tracts; and I was much gratified to see some books in very good condition which had been in use for nineteen years,—showing that with good management on the part of the authorities the destruction of books by prisoners, so often complained of, would be materially diminished. The schoolmistress, whose attendance is for three and a half hours daily, assembles the women in classes on Sundays during the morning service, and reads with and catechises them.

The surgeon makes the usual visits, and keeps a record of the prisoners’ health on admission; but he does not, as required by law, keep a record of the medicines administered.

The food was of very good quality, but the dietary differed from that in use in the other county prison at Petworth in some, particulars which it was not easy to understand. As an example I may mention that at Petworth the gruel contains 4 oz. of flour to the pint, while at Lewes the same quantity was made with 1½ oz. of a mixture of oatmeal and flour. It seems superfluous to observe that if the latter be not deficient in nutriment the former implies needless profusion.

Accommodation, 293 men and 66 women; total 359.

Daily average, 263 and 20; total 283. Area of Site, 11.5 acres; walled in 8.5 acres, number of prisoners per acre accordingly, 31 and 42 only..

This Prison is situated on the South Downs at the top of the town, 20 minutes walk up from the station and immediately below or to South of the covered Town Reservoir, and of a prominent windmill which forms a landmark. There is a Naval Prison also at Lewes, but it has never been the property of the Civil Authority.

The design of this prison is a fine one, but the buildings have been placed too near the gate, and are thus congested at the front, and the site is unfortunately so steep upwards from the gate (which faces South) that the front yard is occasionally dangerous for vehicles. There is a drive and iron gates across the external or south front of the property.

The external walls of all the buildings, except the Industrial shops, are faced with flints, but some of the boundary wall has been constructed of two 9" brick battering sides, filled in with chalk lumps between, and on two occasions portions have fallen and have ben re-built in solid brickwork. The south-west corner is still out of winding.

The main building, or men's prison forms a cross, the left hand or western arm A formerly 15, being now 19 cell-spaces long, while the right hand or eastern arm C has been lengthened from 15 to 24 spaces. B, the back or north wing is only 8 spaces in length, as it runs against the hill, and the front wing E is occupied by the Men's Reception, Offices, and Chapel, over each other. A and C have basements, the latter only to the 15 old cell-spaces, and the former all along, the outer 12 only being cells, while each has three flats [storeys] above ground except B, which has only the two top flats, broad steps rising from the prison centre at level of A II and C II to the lower flat of B III. To right of E, parallel with and in front of C, is found the Debtors' wing, of two flats height, a straight one sided prison, with cells to the front or south, and two extract cowls on ridge.

To left of gate-house yard is placed F, an L shaped prison used for women, and which has the laundry behind it in front of A. The kitchen projects in the angle of A and E.

On going round the yard to the left, there is seen the very large extension added to the yard on the west in 1882. It is used as a garden, and a small disused pump-house stands at the south end. At back of this part, at north-west corner, there is seen a further extension of the yard which goes about half-way along the north boundary, but is limited in length eastwards by the windmill already mentioned.

The east side of the original site runs to a point opposite the outer end of C block.

Behind B, and also extending along behind A stands the old crank house, now an an Industrial shop with wood-chopping, basket and mat-making in separated divisions, and and having cross beams for fixing twenty mat looms. The w-c at east end was to be removed in 1908.

Attached to the same building, on an angle towards the front at west end is the Isolation Hospital, which has a very large ward. It was repaired and re-heated in 1908.

Near the outer end of C, towards the front of the east yard is an open Execution Pit with stair-case; the frame and cover, and beam are kept inside the prison till required, and were last used in 1892, though prepared for use in 1906.

Between D and the gate-house is the Van Shed, and this completes the list of buildings within the yard.

Outside, the Governor's house is on right and the Chaplain's on left of gate, while the Chief Warder and the Gate-keeper occupy two quarters in the gate-house building, to right and left respectively. There are no other warders' quarters.

On entering the Men's prison buildings, the Reception in E I, below the offices is found to be somewhat dark, and was at one time rather stuffy. There is no Examination room proper, the descriptions being taken in the corridor, where gas has generally to be burned. There are now two baths, six cells, four stores and the heating apparatus. For some years past it has been proposed to re-arrange and improve this Reception if such could be found practicable.

The Offices above, call for no special remark but the Chapel on E III is large, bare, and unimpressive, with color-washed walls. The women have to cross, and ascend the stairs at south-west corner to reach their south gallery. There is a bridge from D.

The cell windows on the two upper floors of windows the original parts have, like Leicester, no guard bars.

The Prison "Centre" is a semi-octagon, the office side being flat, and the corner rooms opposite used as Surgery and Offices, which have three bay windows right across the external corners. The corridors of A and C are 16 ft. wide, and the cells normal "Pentonville" size, but with round headed windows, like Warwick. B corridor is only 14 ft. wide and its cells 6' 6" x 11' 0". There are exposed staircases in the outer ends of the corridors, except in A, where they are below the Tower, but there is also a hidden winding stair at right side of "centre", and one attached to the Men's Infirmary in C. None of the cell doors of this prison are iron sheeted. The old soil pipes from former w-c's in cells were still standing externally till 1908, some used as rain-water pipes, and some being only air pipes from the old disused brick drains at foot leading to cess-pits.

The Men's Infirmary consists of three double Infirmary cells over each other, on south side of C near its east end. Each ward has a bath, (for which a direct hot water supply was desired till a Geyser was fitted in 1907) and the aspect and view from the windows of the two upper wards is remarkably good. The attics over the cells have no light except little gable windows, and the openings into them from the corridor clerestory are shuttered in a peculiar manner. The square extract towers are over the original outer ends of the wings.

The Basement of the old part of C is used as stores, but that of A contains part of the Kitchen, which is also built out southwards in the angle between A and E, and contains many obstructive brick piers.

To west of kitchen in A I are the men's weekly baths, six in cell-spaces on both sides. The Engineer's office is also in this basement but is entered externally from south area, and there are also several separated workshops for artizans in cell-spaces, and stores in addition.

The outer part of A I has 24 debtors' cells.

There is a roof light in every arch space of the roofs of corridors except next the "centre" and below the towers.

D Block is a good little one-sided prison, of two flats, and about 14 cell-spaces long, with a 10 ft wide corridor at the back, and cells of the same size as those in B, looking south.

There is an Association room and Debtors' day room across the corridor and cells, at the far end, and beneath the other end is the heating chamber with a Haden's furnace, but no circulating pipes beneath the corridor. There is an ingenious connection of the mechanical cell-bells to an electric alarm bell.

F Block, the Females' Prison, is in line with D, but on the left of the gate. It is not only however much longer, having 25 cell-spaces, but has an L turned to the north at its western end, six spaces long. It has a covered basement and three open flats above ground, which are similar in arrangement to D, with corridor behind, and vertical wire netting to galleries, but has cells 7 ft. wide.

The Females' Reception is in the basement, Females' Reception F I, and has been re-fitted, having two baths in a cell-space, ( used for all purposes) and a gate and exit to Exercise yard on the south side in front.

The Females' Infirmary consists of two Infirmary rooms, each made out of two cells. The Matron's and Female Warders' quarters are at the inner end of F II which is somewhat shut in by the Chaplain's house, and there is a canvas furnished padded cell on the same flat at the north end of the angle.

Behind F, and entered there from, is the Laundry — a fairly good apartment, with a Laundry drying closet of six horses, from which the steam is drawn off by the high chimney from the furnace, and the fronts are partially left open for inlet, but there is also an independent fresh air inlet. Otherwise the north side of F forms a blank corridor wall.

The Drains connect to the town sewer at the south-east angle of the property, after passing out of the yard to the west of the Chaplain's house, through the females' exercise yard.

There is a "dip-trap" down the drive for disconnections (9", date 1880). Much work was done in 1907-8 in re-laying in pipes and providing yard w-c's. A 4" cast iron water main comes from the town reservoir behind the prison, and goes direct into the corner of A and B wings, where it ascends to the tanks. The water is paid for by rate. Improvements were made in 1908.

A 4" gas-main enters through the gate-way and leads to a new meter behind F. No naked cell-lights were left in 1908.

Finally, had the buildings at Lewes been planted in the middle of the present site, and that site been less steep, it would have been a finer prison, and capable of the extension which the small numbers per acre show to be practicable