BRIAN REID PHOTOGRAPHER

Banged Up at His Majesty's Pleasure!

Monday, 30 September 2024 10:55

Despite our only offence, leaving Nugget at home we still ended up in Shepton Mallet Prison. “No talking in the common area, you two”. The perp walk was gentle before the mug shots. They let Tim out into the exercise yard but there was no-one to play chess with. It was an interesting place to visit which should convince anyone that they would not want to go to prison. If you need your fix of luxury-free accommodation there is always Travelodge. The painting was on a landing showing some serious art skills by some inmates. The Kray’s had a short holiday here but there is no record of which cells they were in, so they say. The cushy “cell” was not Harry Grout’s but in fact the Johnson’s who were billeted there to protect national treasures when they were stored there during WW2. They were a family of 4! The lowlight is a cellar with stories of notorious murderers. Chilling. Fortunately after our visit we found a nice cafe that did Danish pastries the size of dinner plates. A slight exaggeration but the cakes were massive and excellent and they served a decent coffee to boot.