HM Prison Dorchester

Erected during the 19th century in the typical Victorian prison style, Dorchester served as a local men's prison under His Majesty's Prison Service. In its final decades it held adult males and young adult males committed from Dorchester, Poole and Bournemouth Crown Courts, along with Magistrates' courts across Dorset and some in Somerset. The population was split roughly half and half between convicted prisoners and men held on remand.

The 2000s brought difficult headlines. In 2006 it emerged that 25% of random drug tests on inmates had proven positive — cannabis most commonly, though a number of men tested positive for opiates including heroin. In 2007 the Prison Reform Trust said staff were "battling against overwhelming odds in old and overcrowded premises", following an inspection report from Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons that found too many inmates, too little investment in the buildings and facilities, and a lack of work opportunities. Conditions did improve, and the prison was awarded 'Most Improved Prison for 2008'. Inside, the education department ran courses such as catering and industrial cleaning, the physical education department offered recognised qualifications alongside recreational activities, and there was a library and chaplaincy support.

On 4 September 2013 the Ministry of Justice announced its intention to close Dorchester, and the prison formally shut in January 2014 under The Closure of Prisons Order 2014. The site was put up for sale, and in August 2014 Dorchester Town Council and the Dorchester Civic Society published a blueprint to guide its redevelopment into a residential-led mixed-use scheme. That December it was announced that Dorchester, along with Gloucester, Kingston and Shepton Mallet prisons, had been sold to City and Country. After community consultation, refined plans were revealed in September 2015 retaining the main Victorian buildings for conversion into apartments, and in December 2015 a planning application went to West Dorset District Council for 190 homes, with the gatehouse to become a museum. In March 2016 it was announced that human remains buried in the prison grounds would be exhumed before redevelopment, a project involving archaeologists studying the diet, health and lifestyle of those buried and assisting with identification.

HM Prison Dorchester has stood closed since January 2014 and is not a casual drop-in: it is a private site awaiting redevelopment, with plans submitted to convert the main Victorian buildings into apartments and the gatehouse into a museum. Organised public ghost hunts are held at the venue, and booking onto one is how most visitors see inside.

Wear sensible footwear for iron stairs and landings, and dress warmly for a long-empty building. If the Roman layer of the story interests you as much as the Victorian one, the mosaic recovered from the town house beneath the prison is held at Dorset Museum in Dorchester, a short walk away.