Bodmin Jail: Its History & Hauntings
Once the most feared prison in Cornwall, Bodmin Jail held prisoners for nearly 150 years — from its opening in 1779 to its final closure in 1927. Within its granite walls, hundreds faced execution, endured brutal punishment and suffered the psychological torment of solitary confinement under the rigid Victorian Separatist System. For many, Bodmin Jail was the last place they ever knew.
Today those same walls house one of England’s most extraordinary and luxurious hotels — but according to staff, guests and its own CEO, something of its former life remains. Bodmin Jail Hotel has built a remarkable reputation as one of the most haunted hotels in the country, with documented accounts of unexplained happenings reported consistently across its rooms, corridors and connecting museum attraction.
In Part 1 we explore the history of Bodmin Jail from its construction through the era of public executions, the sinister Bloody Code, notorious Lightfoot brothers, the Victorian philosophy of punishment and the building’s breathtaking metamorphosis from abandoned ruin to lush retreat. We examine the most compelling paranormal accounts from the hotel’s guest rooms including the infamous Room 311, directly above the original condemned cell, and investigate the mysterious warder known as George and the silent caped figure known only as the Watcher.
In Part 2 we’ll feature the fascinating ghost sightings of its condemned former inmates — Selina Wadge, Matthew Weekes and William Hampton all paid the ultimate price for their brutal crimes but refuse to move on. With a ghostly priest, the apparition of a grumpy woman, the haunting cries of children, Bodmin Jail is so full of ghosts that one story is not enough.
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