UK

Shrewsbury Prison to be turned into boutique hotel

28th November 2023, 

By Maisie Olah

BBC News, West Midlands

Shrewsbury Prison will be turned into a 20-bed boutique hotel

A former prison that has featured in TV dramas and celebrity reality show Banged Up is to become a hotel.

The old HMP Shrewsbury site will have 20 bedrooms and a restaurant, with owners saying guests will get to explore the building's past.

Talks about the Grade II-listed jail becoming a hotel first took place in 2014, a year after inmates moved out.

Chief executive Joel Campbell says the project is about "preserving a piece of history".

Immersive experiences on offer when the hotel opens include Prison Break, where guests don orange jumpsuits and try to escape from their cell.

The redevelopment of the historic jail - built in 1793 - also includes a 72-space car park with provisions for EV charging, accessible parking and bike racks.

Many events will happen inside converted jail including Prison Break, where guests will try to escape from their cell

There will also be conference facilities available.

A prison spokesperson said conversion work had begun at the back of the site on Monday.

They said the building was "expanding and evolving" and that the hotel was an added extra to the prison.

It is not the first prison in the UK to be re-modelled as a hotel.

'Honour the past'

Back in 2005, the 11th Century former jail in the middle of Oxford was converted into a Malmaison hotel.

More recently, the Malmaison was criticised for becoming a destination for social media influencers to take their selfies, Business Insider reported.

And after the firm that took over Bodmin Jail when it shut went into administration in 2009, it was converted into a hotel.

Guests there can now enjoy a Dark Walk Experience, as part of the recently opened £8.5m immersive visitor experience.


Mr Campbell, boss of Cove Group, first purchased a short-term lease on Shrewsbury prison in 2015 and said it would be a "thrilling venture".

"This project is not just about preserving a piece of history; it's about redefining the visitor experience," he said.

"I am excited to see how this development will not only honour the past but also pave the way for a new era of sustainable tourism."