The Bridewell, 91 and 93 New Street, Woodbridge
Introduction
The photograph on this page of The Bridewell, 91 and 93 New Street, Woodbridge by Jo and Steve Turner as part of the Geograph project.
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The Bridewell, 91 and 93 New Street, Woodbridge
Image: © Jo and Steve Turner Taken: 18 Jun 2017
Grade II* Listed almshouses probably built around the same time as New Street, 1550. Claims that this is a former prison are questionable. At least two Bridewells are referred to in Woodbridge by reliable sources, one on Market Hill and one in Burkitt Road or Theatre Street. The conservation area appraisal tells us that 91 and 93 New Street building was acquired in 1641 by the town authorities for use as a poor house. I don't know how long it was a poor house but this seems to conflict with the reports that in 1656 '146 prisoners were kept in a timber-framed building in New Street, which is now a private house called the Bridewell.' A now closed 'history' website is the only place I've found to make this vague claim to a prison that has now been repeated elsewhere. House of Commons Committee minutes of 1800 refer to the necessity of Woodbridge Magistrates 'to erect a Bridewell'. In 1833 Samuel Lewis' Dictionary of England talks of the bridewell in Market Hill being re-built in 1804. The only conclusion I can draw from this is the Burkitt Road Bridewell was rebuilt on Market Hill?
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Image Location
Latitude
52.094003
Longitude
1.315991