Museums & Galleries · Devon
Dartmoor Prison Museum
📍 PL20 6RN
Photo: Neil Theasby (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons
- Life-size models of Napoleonic soldiers in period uniforms
- Displays of manacles, straightjacket and flogging apparatus
- Convict-made models, paintings and crude weapons on show
- Stories of famous prisoners and daring escapes
- Exhibits on prisoner-of-war and convict uniforms through history
Dartmoor Prison Museum sits within HMP Dartmoor in Princetown, on Dartmoor Forest in West Devon, and tells the story of one of the world's most notorious jails across more than 200 years. You'll see life-size models of Napoleonic prisoners of war, grim restraint devices such as manacles and flogging apparatus, convict-made artefacts and weapons, and displays on famous inmates and escapes including Frank Mitchell and Eamonn de Valera. It suits visitors curious about crime, punishment and social history. The museum opens most days from 09:30, with last entries around 16:00. For anywhere to stay, there are 14 bookable places within 5 miles on BritStays, with Bere Alston station around 9.9 miles away.
Practical details
- Open
- Mon–Thu & Sat 09:30–16:30 (last entry 16:00); Fri & Sun 09:30–16:00 (last entry 15:30)
From the attraction's own website on 15 Oct 2026 — check before you travel.
Facilities
- ✓ Toilets
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Make a proper break of it — these stays are all within 25 miles.
0.4 mi
0.7 mi
1.5 mi
1.6 mi
Two Bridges Hotel
✓ Perched on the banks of the West Dart River in Dartmoor National Park
Princetown
2.6 mi
2.6 mi
🎪 What's on near Dartmoor Prison Museum
Events from
Skiddle
Sat 14 Nov · 19:00
Skids + Theatre Of Hate
Totnes Civic Hall, Totnes · 15.9 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Thu 19 Nov · 19:30
Land of the Giants + Phat Planet @ Things Happen Here
Things Happen Here, Totnes · 14.5 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Sat 19 Dec · 19:30
Evening of Mediumship with Nikki Kitt - Ashburton
Ashburton Town Hall, Ashburton · 10.9 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
Fri 8 Jan · 19:30
Evening of Mediumship with Nikki Kitt - Ivybridge
The Watermark, Ivybridge · 11.7 mi
Tickets on Skiddle ↗
🗓️ Make a break of it
Turn a visit to Dartmoor Prison Museum into a proper getaway — ready-made plans, and the drive worked out with fuel, EV charging and the best stops.
A weekend in Devon with older parents →
A weekend in Paignton with the kids →
A weekend in Paignton →
🗺️ Plan the drive to Dartmoor Prison Museum
🚆 Or come by train
- Bere Alston 9.9 miles
- Calstock 9.9 miles
- Gunnislake 9.9 miles
Straight-line distances · live departures on each station page