A former Liverpool prison is set to become a hotel and open its doors to the public later this spring.
Merseyside’s main Bridewell Prison closed in 1999 but now, more than 15 years later, paying customers will be sleeping in the refurbished cells that once housed criminals.
The Grade II listed building was put on the market back in 2004 for the cost of £600,000, where it was snapped up by StayCentral – a Liverpool-based hotel chain.
Operations Director Lee Darwen said: “Having Bridewell as the first staycentral.com hotel is very exciting indeed. It’s not just any normal building, it’s steeped in history. It’s in a brilliant location and most of all it fits with the ethos of the modern micro-hotel concept which staycentral.com will roll out nationwide in the coming years.”
Bridewell on Cheapside, was originally designed as a police station and courts complex for the Corporation of Liverpool and it was used as the city’s main lockup for 160 years.
Joe Keggin, the Press Officer for Visitor Economy Marketing Liverpool, told JMU Journalism: “This is a unique property, making the most of a fine building and bringing it back to life.
“As the city’s reputation grows, it continues to attract more visitors and accommodation options such as this are important to the visitor economy’s development.”
An overhaul of the prisons cells will see 85 modern rooms complete with hi-spec en-suite bathrooms and LED smart TVs.
Mr Darwen added: “The walls are super thick with layers of original British bond brick and the doors are solid oak, so there is no danger of being woken by noisy neighbours.”
The exercise yard of the completely secure prison has been converted into a glass-covered indoor lounge space to host weekend music and leisure events, pop-up bars and business networking meetings.