📖 Spooky Story Sunday: Spirits of Bodmin Jail 📖

Tucked within Cornwall’s granite walls, Bodmin Jail stands as a chilling portal to its grim past. Built in 1779 and once the site of public hangings, this former prison now operates as a visitor attraction — but its legacy of sorrow and suffering still lingers.

1. A Dark History Etched in Stone

Over roughly 150 years of operation, Bodmin Jail housed more than 35,000 prisoners, including men, women, and children, and witnessed 55 executions, the last in 1909.

Public hangings drew crowds from across Cornwall, turning punishment into spectacle. Within the cells, conditions were dire: damp, overcrowded, and disease-ridden. These grim realities have infused the site with an atmosphere that many visitors describe as heavy, unsettling, and alive with echoes of the past.

2. Ghostly Residents: Who Haunts the Halls?

Bodmin Jail is said to be alive with restless spirits. Among the most frequently mentioned:

• Selina Wadge, executed in 1878 for the death of her son. She is said to appear as a weeping figure, with pregnant women and children particularly sensitive to her sorrowful energy.

• Matthew Weeks, hanged in 1844 for the murder of Charlotte Dymond, is believed to wander the corridors still protesting his innocence.

• Disembodied voices, screams of children, phantom footsteps, rattling keys, and the figures of long-dead wardens are also frequently reported.

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3. Experiences from the Living

Visitors and staff alike have shared chilling encounters. Reports include sudden drops in temperature, the feeling of cold hands touching skin, and shadowy figures moving between the cells.

Some guests have spoken of hearing footsteps following them, only to turn around and find no one there. Others describe whispers, cries, or the eerie sensation of being watched by unseen eyes.

Ghost tours and paranormal investigation nights at the jail continue to attract those eager to experience its haunted reputation firsthand.

4. Why So Haunted?

Element	Role in the Legend
Historic Trauma	Executions, cruelty, and despair embedded into the very walls.
Architecture	Thick granite walls, hidden corners, and echoing cells create a perfect stage for paranormal activity.
Living Witnesses	Regular reports from staff, investigators, and visitors fuel the ongoing stories.
Cultural Memory	Local folklore and ghost tourism ensure the legends endure.

5. Final Reflection

Bodmin Jail is more than a historical monument—it is a place where the weight of the past still presses against the present. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the atmosphere is undeniable.

So next time you step through its darkened corridors, listen closely. In the silence between footsteps, you may just hear the echoes of those who never left.

Sources

• The Guardian – Inside Bodmin Jail: Britain’s Most Haunted Building

• Cornwall Live – Paranormal Activity at Bodmin Jail

• Haunted England – Bodmin Jail

• Haunted Rooms – Bodmin Jail Ghosts and History

• Spooky Isles – Ghosts of Bodmin Jail

• Haunted Hosts – The Tragic Tale of Selina Wadge

• Ghostly Postcodes – Hauntings at Bodmin Jail

• Bodmin Jail Official Website – Haunted Experiences and History

• Reddit (Cornwall threads) – Visitor experiences