Let’s get real, we’ve never had the pleasure of spending a night in a jail cell. But here’s one that people are willing to pay money to sleep in. The Old Gaol at the bottom of Picton Street is going up for auction – with a starting price of £325,000.
Built around 1830, this Freehold Grade II listed property was built sometime around 1830. Bristol wouldn’t set up its own police force until 1836. It was up to the Charley to arrest and confine anyone who disturbed the peace. They’d throw you in this Charley Box overnight and let you go the following morning or transfer you to the magistrates.
Since then the Old Gaol has had many lives. It’s been a hairdressing salon, a studio, a café and a popular AirBnB apartment with a music studio below. Now it’s up for sale again – kitted out with all the goods for you to move in – in the heart of Bristol’s creative quarter, Montpelier.
In the past, then the Old Gaol consisted of a very small room for the Charley and two barrel-vaulted cells, one of which still has its iron-studded door. Below street level, there were two more vaulted rooms with a squint in the dividing wall. These days, the stylish self-contained apartment on the ground floor features an open-plan living room and kitchen, two bathrooms and a bedroom.
There are also steps leading up to the “tranquil inner city courtyard garden”, which is described as a suntrap with well-established trees and shrubs. There is a vaulted roof space too, which may offer further potential for the property. The Old Gaol goes to auction on June 19, but you must be registered by June 17. You can learn how to do that here.