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All the United Kingdom England Lincoln Prison Chapel at Lincoln Castle

Prison Chapel at Lincoln Castle

Inside this chapel, Victorian jailers took the separate system to new levels.

Lincoln, England

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Chaplain’s eye view   adamtheengineer / Atlas Obscura User
Single person cell adapted to house 3 after the separate system was abandoned   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Stairwell entrance.   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
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View from pulpit.   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Views from stairs.   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Display Manikins   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Exercise yard.   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
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Map, Victorian Prison No. 10.   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
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View of stalls   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
View from inside a cubicle.   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
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This old prison is part of the castle museum in Lincoln which in itself is very interesting. It was originally designed around the separate system of penal justice. This meant that from the time prisoners entered the prison, until their release, they would never have contact with another inmate. The cells were all designed for solitary confinement with food served through a hatch in the door. When released out of the cell into the exercise yard, inmates had to wear a full hood. 

The only time inmates were allowed to remove their hoods while outside their cells was for Sunday chapel. To ensure none of the prisoners couldn't see one another, the chapel was designed so that the pews had high doors between each pew that closed behind you. Once seated, the steep theatre-like seating ensured the only person each prisoner could see was the chaplain. They could then remove the hoods so the chaplain could see his congregation.

You can visit the chapel as part of the castle entry ticket and are allowed to sit in one of the isolated pews. Due to overcrowding and public appeal from prison reformers, the separate system did not last many years at Lincoln. However, the chapel remains as a reminder of the inhumanity of the Victorian penal system.

Not long after the opening of the prison, a cholera epidemic in London meant that Lincoln Prison became overcrowded, eventually leading to the abolishment of the Separate System. Single person cells were used to house up to three prisoners. 

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Prisons Museums Castles

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adamtheengineer

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Dr Alan P Newman, SEANETTA

  • Dr Alan P Newman
  • SEANETTA

Published

December 11, 2019

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Prison Chapel at Lincoln Castle
Lincoln Castle
Castle Square
Lincoln, England, LN1 3AA
United Kingdom
53.234604, -0.540714
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