A Chill Wind In A Dark Place

We walked dark corridors, climbed barely lit stairs, taking care on the uneven floors. Around every turn people awaiting execution for committing evil deeds could be found. But here there were also children – awaiting a flogging for stealing a sheaf of corn or merely imprisoned because their parents were incarcerated within.

A walk around Bodmin Jail is a chilling experience as the evil of the English prison system of the 18th and 19th centuries is told in the stories of so many people who spent time within the walls and in many cases met their deaths through illness, brutality or the hangman’s rope. Many visitors claim to have experienced the presence of past inmates during their tour and a number have complained of extreme headaches and experiencing a feeling of deep depression. I can’t claim that I felt any of this – the place is horrible enough without any supernatural influences to make it worse. I recommend a visit to Bodmin Jail for the experience and the insight it gives into past prison regimes. You can find more details and some of the history on the Jail’s website. Check out the ‘Most Haunted’ videos too…

12 responses to “A Chill Wind In A Dark Place”

rommel

November 5, 2012 at 11:50 pm

Really haunting but amazing images nonetheless. And the morbidness on the first paragraph, sends chill but interesting at the same time. Very nice images and post, Flinchley.

Reply
1. 2e0mca
  
  November 6, 2012 at 12:10 am
  
  Thanks Rommel – It is a chilling place to visit. The past presses down upon the present even for those of us who are not affected. It is frightening how ‘justice’ was passed down just a century ago and they still hanged people in this country just 50 years ago!
  
  Reply
Three Well Beings

November 7, 2012 at 5:42 am

I don’t know…I think I’d be a little “freaked out” to be around what I presume has a lingering sense of pain. It’s historically very compelling, though. The photos are really outstanding, too.

Reply
1. 2e0mca
  
  November 7, 2012 at 8:07 am
  
  Thank you Debra. I’ve been to more pleasant museums and our son certainly preferred the railway to the jail 🙂
  
  Reply
spilledinkguy

November 8, 2012 at 4:39 pm

Love your using the window / bars to frame that first shot, Martin…
and the vertical format of your second piece really emphasizes the sense of height / feeling of being ‘surrounded’ or ‘closed-in’ to me. Powerful stuff – and nicely done, as always!
My wife and I used to watch ‘Most Haunted’ when we had cable. I was a bit skeptical of it, but I always found Derek Acorah entertaining.
🙂

Reply
1. 2e0mca
  
  November 8, 2012 at 5:14 pm
  
  Thanks Bob – that’s the interior of the Naval wing of the prison with the roof and landings gone. You can still see some of the beams that carried the walkways outside the cells. I wonder how many prisoners took a dive from the top floor?
  
  I’m skeptical about shows like Most Haunted because the pressure is on to make something happen and, as we know, things tend to not happen when we want them to. I’m not skeptical about paranormal activity though… As my Night Lady poem indicates.
  
  Reply
Touch2Touch

November 9, 2012 at 10:39 pm

Even at this distant remove, I feel a shudder.

Reply
1. 2e0mca
  
  November 10, 2012 at 7:45 am
  
  It is a grim place Judith.
  
  Reply
Tony McGurk

November 12, 2012 at 10:31 pm

Fantastic photos Martin. I could just imagine the feeling from knowing what went on there. Those in prison today get it quite easy in comparison to prisoners back in those times.

Reply
1. 2e0mca
  
  November 13, 2012 at 6:50 am
  
  Thanks Tony 🙂 There are lots of stories told within the cells about past inmates and their crimes. Punishment for petty theft was extreme – children as young as 10 were often publicly flogged. Murder invariably meant the hangman’s rope and surprisingly, so did the wilful destruction of someone elses crops! A number of medium level crimes resulted in transportation and the formation of the Australian Cricket team 😉
  
  Reply
  1. Tony McGurk
    
    November 13, 2012 at 11:40 am
    
    My paternal GG Grandparents were Irish convicts.
  2. 2e0mca
    
    November 13, 2012 at 12:11 pm
    
    There you go! It’s amazing how much history we have in our families. Do you know what they were convicted of?