Monument record TQ 75 NE 403 - Maidstone Prison

A proposal to build a new Bridewell in Maidstone was made as early as 1792-3. It was not until 1810 that the first stone was laid. The architect was Daniel Asher Alexander (1768-1846). By March 1819 inmates were moving in. Work was still continuing on the site until 1822. At the centre of the prison was a three storied tower which was circular in plan, housing offices, accommodation for the keeper and chapel. Extending to the north, east and south were cruciform complexes of cell blocks with a turnkey's tower at the heart of each cross. Every block was physically separate from all others though at the first and second floor levels they were originally linked by iron walkways. A gatehouse and chaplain's house were located at the western entrance to the prison. In the 1820s a courthouse was built between these two buildings. In the north-east corner was a small hospital, in the south-east corner was a female wing. This is the site of the larger female wing built in the 1850s. The only surviving parts of the 1810s prison are the blocks which formed the southern cross and the large roundhouse which lay at the centre of the complex. Most of the perimeter wall belongs to the first phase of construction. The present gatehouse is listed as dating from 1809-11 but actually dates from circa 1891. The original entrance was superseded by the present gatehouse but was reopened in 1904 when the prison was divided into two separate establishments. In 1854 the present A Hall and most of the existing centre were built. The 1820 wing was demolished in 1856 when the present C Hall was built. B Hall was added circa 1884. A reception block attached to the east end of Kent House dates from soon after 1884. A female hospital was added in 1859-60. In 1907-8 convicts began the construction of a new block. Thanet House and a printshop also date from the early 20th century. Further additions and extensions have been made during the 20th century.

During the machine groundworks associated with the construction of a new sports facility, a series of Ragstone wall segments were revealed sealed by thick deposits of mixed possible quarry/foundation upcast material. These were plotted onto an overall plan of the new development, and examination of early maps of the prison revealed that all the walling related to the first phase of the prison's construction in the 19th century. These were found to cut into the top of the underlying natural subsoil to a depth of -2.90m below the modern ground surface. Across the area of the development two areas of severe disturbance were recorded, caused by deep foundations to later prison structures and from a large quarry feature, which was possibly for the extraction of either Head Brickearth deposits for brick making or naturally occuring Ragstone used in the outer walls of the prison structure.
Apart from deposits relating to the earliest phase of prison construction, no earlier archaeological deposit or feature pre-dating this was located across the entire development site. [1]

Historic England archive material: BF090993 HMP MAIDSTONE, COUNTY ROAD, MAIDSTONE

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 2005, An Archaeological Watching brief during the construction of a new sports facility at H.M.Prison, Maidstone (Unpublished document). SKE12326.