Bodmin Jail

Bodmin Jail has stood at the heart of Bodmin since 1779, when it was built as Cornwall's county prison - the first in the country designed to hold inmates in individual cells, a then-radical reform. Over its 150 years as a working prison it carried out 55 public hangings, held the Crown Jewels and the Domesday Book for safekeeping during the First World War, and built a reputation as one of the most notorious institutions in the West Country.

The prison closed in 1927, and the surviving stone buildings have since been redeveloped into one of Cornwall's most atmospheric visitor attractions. At its centre is The Dark Walk, an immersive, theatrically-staged journey through the jail's history of crime, punishment and execution, alongside self-guided and guided tours by day and ghost-hunting experiences after dark - including an 18+ overnight paranormal investigation. Part of the historic building now also operates as Bodmin Jail Hotel, with a restaurant, café and gift shop on site.

The jail's dark history has drawn paranormal investigators for decades and has featured on televised ghost-hunting programmes, cementing its reputation as one of the most haunted locations in Cornwall - though by day it's every bit a family-friendly heritage attraction, with exhibitions covering its architecture, notable inmates and the social history of crime and punishment in 18th and 19th century Cornwall.