Shepton Mallet Prison Guided Tour
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
South West England, England
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
A dark look at the history of crime and punishment, this tour of Shepton Mallet Prison reveals the secrets of a historic English prison. Walk the corridors and see the cells of a prison that has been standing for 400 years, and learn about the prisoners who have lived here. See where executions once took place, and where old architecture has been modernized to suit the 21st century. Notice the difference between punishment in the 1600s and the present day.
- Get a unique look inside a locked institution
- Your guide deepens your experience, going well beyond the guidebooks
- Wander between the cells, the torture rooms, and more
- Admission ticket included
What's Included
- Admission ticket to Shepton Mallet Prison
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Shepton Mallet PrisonFrithfield Ln, Shepton Mallet BA4 5FQ, UK
To meet for this tour, please enter the visitor centre 15 minutes before your tour time
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Shepton Mallet Prison
Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- We are dog friendly
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 32 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 1,718 reviews
Stuart_R, Oct 2025
Can be very cold if windy. Very interesting you can learn a lot. when you go on the guided tour.
Well worth seeing.
Matthew_D, Nov 2023
Mainly the feeling of the prison in general but also the rich and macabre history. Our guide Charlie was brilliant and very knowledgeable. A fascinating tour and excellent being able to walk around after the main tour. A great and very interesting day out.
Richard_S, Oct 2023
Morris was a great tour guide with his stories and knowledge of the prison.
We would not have gleamed the amount of information if we had not had a personal tour.
Thank you Morris.
Kim_K, Jul 2023
Our tour guide Maurice was really informative! Told us some brilliant stories as well as the history! He was great!
Benjamin_M, Jul 2023
The hole tour was great fun and very informative, and to be able to walk round and explore was brilliant
Mark_C, Jun 2023
My wife and I did the tour yesterday with Charley. She did a fantastic job as it was her second solo tour. After getting home and going through the photos on her phone, we found a picture that neither of us took. It was inside the 1600 cells. I climbed in to take a couple pictures, then climbed back out. I sent my pictures to my wife's phone, and on viewing, the enclosed picture appeared on hers. I was alone in the cell at the time (at least I thought I was).
Karen_H, May 2023
Tour guide was awesome, knowledgeable, interesting and entertaining 😀😀😀 the whole tour was fantastic value for money
Emma_D, May 2023
Jeremy’s tour was fantastic. Full of detail and insight you just wouldn’t get with the self guided tour. You get a very real experience and will get to see more than you might think. Highly recommend.
marion_c, May 2023
Very informative visit polite guide showing us around plenty of things to look at on way round prison
Claire_C, May 2023
Thought provoking insight into nearly 400 years of history behind bars. Our excellent tour guide really brought it to life and was incredibly knowledgeable and engaging. Highly recommend.
Claire_G, Apr 2023
A really interesting and informative afternoon, looking around the prison.
The tour guide (Jeremy)was very knowledgable and provided an excellent service, demonstrating good humour throughout
Richard_T, Mar 2023
Really enjoyed our tour. So much knowledge shared so brilliantly. Shame we didn't see a ghost, but the over night stay might be fun.
Steve_E, Feb 2023
Been before but decided to have the guided tour second time round,thoroughly enjoyed it and Jason the tour guide was excellent!would definitely visit again.
Vivienne_S, Feb 2023
Very informative brilliant tour, the tour guide was great sense of humour well worth the money . Wrap up warm its cold goodness knows how prisoners survived childre as young as five were housed there
Christine_B, Feb 2023
just that it was really interesting - that's history; some of the stories were really astonishing ! I guess one doesn't general think of prison history and visiting prisons but that's where the best stories are!
Barbara_W, Jan 2023
We had a fantastic day it was great to have a tour guide l learnt a lot it was very cold but we have decided to come back in the summer as there is so much to see and a great coffee shop
Sandy_D, Jan 2023
I loved every minute.
Learning about the history and hearing the stories as we were being taken on the tour.
Laurence_B, Nov 2022
Visiting the Mallet was very interesting, if you have never been to a prison I would recommend it 👍
Vicky_N, Nov 2022
Guided tour means that you don't miss out on the history of the gaol. Thanks to Jason who made us forget about the rain !
Peter_L, Nov 2022
An excellent guide and another visitor who had served time in the prison 30 years ago. Having visited a number of other such facilities I feel there is massive potential for further development such as improved cafe offerings. Bodmin Jail would be easy to replicate but would clearly need massive investment.
Gillian_F, Nov 2022
Our guide Jason’s amazing knowledge really brought the visit to life quite harrowing but very real. Will be such a shame if the history of the prison is lost to the public.
Stuart_R, Oct 2022
Very knowledgale and enteraining guide ...who had been a Prison Officer for many years and had a host of knowledge and information he shared ... good value for money
Carol_D, Oct 2022
Aaron was excellent very knowledgable approachable and humorous. He made a good tour really brilliant!
Bob_B, Oct 2022
We thoroughly enjoyed the tour with Maurice. It was so interesting and informative.
He added a sense of humour to it which everyone enjoyed.
Kay_L, Oct 2022
Really fab day. The tour guide was so knowledgeable and very good at his job. Would definitely recommend going to this prison 🤩
Jessica_J, Sep 2022
Great to learn the history and walk the steps of those who attended Shelton mallet prison.
Your guide Jason shared detailed knowledge and was always happy to answer any questions.
derek_p, Aug 2022
Tour guide Jason, very informative and knowledgeable. Great tour, fascinating stories, the 2 hours passed very quickly.
Lorraine_L, Aug 2022
Very interesting to have an inside view of this old prison and be able to leave on the same day.
Jeremy the tour guide was a mine of information.
Claire_B, Jul 2022
Maurice was our tour guide. Very informative and a great laugh. Made the tour so much fun if it wasn't for him we would've meandered around and left quite soon after arriving. Highly recommend a guided tour
Deborah_H, May 2022
The whole experience from start to finish
So very interesting and the tour guide was very friendly and informative
From $34.33
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Shepton Mallet Prison Guided Tour
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