All that remains of Duke Street Prison on the East End of Glasgow. Originally opened in 1798, it finally closed in 1957 and was demolished shortly afterwards. It was an early example of the Separate System introduced in the early 19th Century which was based around keeping prisoners in solitary confinement.
In 1882, Duke Street became a women's prison when male prisoners were moved to the newly built Barlinnie Prison. It was here that many Scottish suffragettes were imprisoned during their campaign for equal voting rights. When the prison was being demolished, a cast-iron umbrella stand painted in the suffragette colours which was rescued and is now housed in the Glasgow Women's Library in Bridgeton.
Add comment