Inveraray
I drove across to Loch Fyne the other week and stopped at Inveraray. Fantastic scenery along with an impressive castle. It isn’t open yet as it’s still the closed season, so I could only walk around outside and take a couple of photographs. It’s on my list to visit later in the year though.
Inveraray is one of the oldest and best preserved towns in Scotland. The old town was demolished in the mid 1700’s and a new town built around the same period. This was because the 3rd Duke of Argyle wanted to landscape the grounds around his new mansion so he had the town moved to a new location. Scottish history is full of surprises and you would never guess from the surrounding area that this actually happened.
The main reason for visiting Inveraray was to take in the County Court and Jail which have been preserved and are open to the public. The Courthouse dates from 1820 along with the old prison, with a new jail constructed in 1848. These replaced the old County Courthouse and Jail from 1757, which was too small, overcrowded and not fit for purpose.
A great deal of information is provided throughout the establishment. I chose not to take the audio. I tend not to as I prefer to go at my own pace and read what’s there. I like to go back and forward a bit and I have found myself out of sync with the recording whenever I have taken the audio. However, it’s a good option and is included in your entry fee.
The exhibition details the horror of conditions and, from a modern perspective, the harsh sentencing policy and treatment of men and women, young and old, along with those suffering from mental health issues. You can see for yourself the improvements that were made with the new jail, though it was still pretty brutal. The airing yards date from 1843 and were provided for prisoners to securely exercise individually in the open air.
You can stop off in the court house before going on to the prison, and hear snippets from actual trials that took place there which have been recorded for the exhibition. You can take a seat to the side of the dummies dressed up in period costume and gain an impression of how court proceedings were two hundred years ago.
Details of individual prisoners, their crimes and punishment, their daily routine and working up to ten hours a day while incarcerated, have all been documented and make fascinating though disturbing reading. There is also details of transportation, the practice of shipping convicts to Australia, a voyage lasting about four months.
The jail closed in 1889 with the Circuit Court only meeting twice here after 1900, with the Sheriff Court moved to Dunoon in 1954. The buildings then fell into disrepair, but an extensive restoration led to them being opened to the public in 1989.
A fascinating, but very sobering exhibition. The work that has gone into preserving this institution is first rate and well worth a visit.
The Fiction Factory 