Ashwell Prison

Ashwell Prison was built on the site of a World War II United States army base that had housed part of the 82nd Airborne Division, and it opened in 1955 as an open prison for adult men. In October 1987 it was converted to an Adult Male Category C establishment. In 2003 it made the national press when four prisoners went on a wrecking spree, causing £10,000 of damage to office equipment, computers and windows after an officer discovered an inmate drinking alcohol in his cell; despite that incident, the prison achieved Resettlement Stage 1 accreditation the same year. A 2005 inspection report raised concerns about prisoners' vulnerability, race relations and the quality of work and training, and in that same year an inmate escaped from guards while being treated for tuberculosis at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, before being recaptured days later. Among those who served time here was the professional footballer Lee Hughes, who arrived in 2004 after being convicted of death by dangerous driving and went on to manage the prison's football team.

In July 2008 a new £6m wing of 64 cells opened, taking capacity to 619. Less than a year later, in the early hours of 11 April 2009, a prisoner serving a three-year sentence confronted staff and refused to return to his room. He began causing damage, others joined him, and the unrest spread quickly; around 400 prisoners are thought to have taken part. A three-mile police perimeter was thrown around the site, reaching to the edges of Oakham, and prisoners were evacuated. A fire broke out during the afternoon. The response, Operation Tornado, brought in specialist riot-trained prison staff, and the disturbance was brought under control at 2245 BST that day. Three prisoners were injured. No member of staff was injured or directly attacked.

Seventy-five per cent of the prison was left uninhabitable, with substantial damage to three of the old wings, and the episode prompted wider questioning of overcrowding in the English prison system. In January 2011 it was announced that Ashwell would close, the cost of repair and maintenance being too high, and the prison formally closed at the end of March 2011 once all inmates had transferred elsewhere. Rutland County Council finalised the purchase of the site from the Ministry of Justice in January 2013 and redeveloped it through that year, demolishing some riot-damaged accommodation blocks and building new units in their place.

The site is now Oakham Enterprise Park, about two miles south of the centre of Ashwell village on the road towards Oakham, opposite the former Cottesmore Hunt kennels. It is a genuine working business park of offices and light industrial units, so daytime visitors should treat it as exactly that — park sensibly, keep to the public areas and don't go looking for a way past the fence. Several of the original prison buildings remain alongside the new units, and these are in regular use for airsoft events, military training and filming, which means access is controlled rather than casual.

If you want to see inside after dark, the straightforward route is to book onto one of the organised public ghost hunts run at the venue by event companies, since the old prison buildings aren't open to casual visitors. Check what each organiser includes before you book. However you spend the evening, remember that people served sentences here and others worked here, and that three prisoners were injured in the disturbance of April 2009. A little restraint goes a long way.