Ruthin Gaol Season Launch and Birthday Celebration
On Saturday 5th April, Ruthin Gaol, one of North Wales most popular heritage attractions will be hosting a celebration event to mark the start of the 2025 season, and a rather impressive anniversary that is being hailed as 250 years of Ruthin Gaol!
Although a ‘house of correction’ had stood on the site since much earlier, it was in 1775 that the oldest remaining part of the Gaol was built. Designed and executed by renowned local architect Joseph Turner, its construction marked a new era in the prison’s history, coinciding with major reforms in the treatment of prisoners. Over time, new attitudes to crime and punishment led to the strict Victorian approach designed to reform, rather than simply punish, reflected in the iconic architecture of the Pentonville wing, which visitors can explore today.
Having ceased operations as a prison in 1916, the site was repurposed as a munitions factory during World War II, offering a relatively safer location for Liverpool-based Lang Pen Company to operate.
With the machinery came female machinists from Liverpool who trained and worked alongside local women from Ruthin. Together, they played a vital role in the war effort and became known collectively as the Munitionettes.
In later years additional buildings were added to the site including the iconic Pentonville style wing with its atmospheric basement cells, and despite closing as a prison in 1916, development continues today. Thanks to Government funding, Turner’s original building is set to become a new visitor welcome centre with café and exhibition space to display County treasure.
Construction work will be taking place throughout the 2025 season but will not affect the unique Victorian prison experience to be had at the historic attraction which received a TripAdvisor ‘Traveller’s Choice’ in 2024.
Philippa Jones, Heritage Site Operations and Development Manager at Ruthin Gaol said;
“We’re very excited for the forthcoming development to the front building which will allow us to enhance our visitor experience and provide new ways for the local community to access their local heritage. Equally, we are very much looking forward to welcoming visitors this year and hope the local community will join us on Saturday 5th April to mark the start of the season and celebrate 250 years of Ruthin Gaol.”
In this milestone year, visitors can explore the Gaol’s history through new and updated exhibitions and activities, including interactive puzzles for younger visitors and a retelling of the Gaol’s wartime story as a munitions factory, and the Munitionettes who worked there.
Ruthin Gaol reopens on Wednesday 2nd April, the Birthday Celebration event taking place on Saturday 5th April. The local community is invited to attend the official Unlocking of the Gaol ceremony at 11:00am and enjoy free family fun and games which will be available throughout the day in the front Courtyard (normal admission fees apply for entry to the Gaol itself).
Today, Ruthin Gaol offers visitors a unique opportunity to explore the Gaol’s history, experiencing daily life for those who lived and worked here through captivating exhibitions and interactive puzzle trails, for younger visitors.
Ruthin Gaol is open Monday – Sunday (closed Tuesdays), 10:30 – 4.30pm (last admission 3.30pm). For more information, or to plan a visit, visit www.denbighshire.gov.uk/heritage
- PPD_090_363 & PPD_090_397: Images reproduced with permission of North East Wales Archives