Princetown, at the very heart of Dartmoor is the location of Dartmoor's most famous (infamous) building - the grim edifice of Dartmoor Prison. Built in 1809, the prison held French and American prisoners of war. It became a criminal prison in 1850 and most of the building date from the late 19th century, but three wings have recently been fully refurbished.
Dartmoor is wreathed in legend, and one became the inspiration for the Sherlock Holmes story "The Hound of the Baskervilles". The isolation of the moor, together with its harsh and unrelenting winter weather, provided a suitably forbidding setting for the novel.
Have been to Dartmoor, but never seen the prison. So if the Hound of the Baskervilles doesn't get you then an escaped prisoner might just...!
ReplyDeleteI too have been here, but not for many years. I like the idea of the annual "prison jailbreak", sounds as if Dartmoor prison does not take itself too seriously now. Must have been grim to have been a POW there, though perhaps better than the hulks.
ReplyDeletePaul at Leeds daily photo