Ten years on: How Shrewsbury's Dana prison was transformed into tourist attraction and film location

On March 31, 2013, the decision was made by the Ministry of Justice to close Shrewsbury Prison, among seven other public sector prisons, in a bid to cut costs.

Prison staff paraded through the prison gates, led by Gerry Hendry, the last Governor of the jail, as a memorial of their years of service at the then 220-year-old prison.

Now, Shrewsbury Prison is known as the World’s Most Interactive Prison - it offers guided tours, ghost hunts, boasts 10 escape rooms – and has become a popular destination for film production companies.

Only recently did Shrewsbury Prison appear in the last series of the BAFTA award-winning TV show Happy Valley, starring Sarah Lancashire and James Norton.

CEO Joel Campbell has confirmed that the team have now successfully purchased the entirety of the building, which includes the prison grounds, just in time for the anniversary.

Reflecting on the last 10 years, Mr Campbell said: "We have gone from having it closing and lying empty, to now having its future guaranteed as a tourist attraction.

"That is what it is and what it will continue to be. What's really positive is that we have been able to bring a new lease of life to the building and bring something different to the town.

"It's a real positive for not just Shrewsbury, but Shropshire and the West Midlands as a whole. People within Shrewsbury have been really supportive of it, as well as the council and the Shropshire Star.

"Shrewsbury Prison oozes history and when people talk about those buildings that have 'walls that can talk', that really does happen in Shrewsbury."

Mr Campbell went on to say that his vision for the prison was far from the reality of what it was originally intended to be – housing.

In 2015, Mr Campbell received permission from Trevor Osborne – chairman of the Osborne group who owned the site – to use it as a 'pop-up' for guided tours, spanning 12 months.

Since then, Shrewsbury Prison has gone from strength to strength, recently branching out to offer educational trips for schoolchildren and opening an onsite restaurant.

Speaking on what drew him to the site, Mr Campbell added: "It's the magnificence of the building and when we talk about heritage attractions, the one big difference Shrewsbury has is that the building itself is the museum.

"Other museums you can pick up and move anywhere, but with the prison, that's what you can't replicate anywhere else. It was also the town itself, it's such a vibrant place that it all sort of fit together."

Shrewsbury Prison, also known as The Dana, was completed in 1793 and named after Rev Edmund Dana.

For many years it was a place of execution, which in older times, was carried out in public and drew huge crowds.

People used to turn up early to make sure they got a good place and posters were produced as souvenirs.

Between 1902 and 1961 there were eight executions at Shrewsbury Prison, including of 21-year-old George Riley who was put to death by hanging for the murder of a 62-year-old woman.

During redevelopment in 1972, the remains of ten prisoners executed at Shrewsbury Prison were dug up, one of which was identified as George Riley, where his remains were handed over to his relatives.

It's "macabre excitement" and dark tourism which draws people to the museum, Mr Campbell added, as people have the opportunity to immerse themselves within its rich history.

Mr Campbell said there are plans to develop Shrewsbury Prison further in years to come, including getting the building as close to net zero carbon as possible in the next 18 months.

For further information on Shrewsbury Prison, visit shrewsburyprison.com.