HM Prison Foston Hall

HM Prison Foston Hall is a women's closed category prison and Young Offenders Institution, located in the village of Foston in Derbyshire, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.

HMP Foston Hall
LocationFoston, Derbyshire
Security classAdult Female/Young Offenders
Population299 (as of August 2020[1])
Opened1997
Managed byHM Prison Services
GovernorAndrea Black
WebsiteFoston Hall at justice.gov.uk

History

The original Manor of Foston and Scropton was held by the Agard family from the 14th to the 17th century. It was bought by John Bate in 1679. Richard Bate was High Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1705.[2] Brownlow Bate sold the estate to John Broadhurst in 1784. The 17th century manor house was destroyed by fire in 1836, but many parts of that house survive.

A new Jacobethan house was designed by T.C. Hine of Nottingham and built in 1863.[3] Its main two storey front has eight bays and an off-centre three-storey tower. The house is now a Grade II listed building.

HM Prison Service acquired the Hall and grounds in 1953. During its Prison Service history Foston Hall has been a Detention Centre, an immigration centre, and finally before its closure during 1996 a satellite of Sudbury Prison. It was re-opened on 31 July 1997, following major refurbishment and building work, as a closed-category female prison.

The prison today

Foston Hall Prison is spread over seven wings that serve a variety of functions. The prison can accommodate 187 convicted prisoners, 80 remand prisoners and 16 juvenile prisoners. Foston Hall also has a Health Care Centre with three inpatient beds.

The prison provides inmates with work in the prison gardens, the gym, the textile and craft workshop and the kitchens, all of which can lead to qualifications. In addition the prison's education department offers NVQs in Cleaning Services and hairdressing, as well as basic and key skills learning.

Notable inmates (past & present)
  • Maxine Carr[4] - Sentenced to three and a half years prison for lying about her knowledge of the Soham murders.
  • Melanie Shaw[6] - Arsonist. Subject to several conspiracy theories linked to her whistle blowing of Beechwood Children's Home abuse.

References
  1. "Prison population figures: 2020". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  2. The History and Gazetteer of the County of Derby Vol 1 (1831) Stephen Glover. Appendix p. 12 Queen Anne. Google Books
  3. Pevsner, Nikolaus; Williamson, Elizabeth (1978) [1953]. Derbyshire. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 315. ISBN 0-14-071008-6.
  4. "Maxine Carr moved to rural prison". BBC News. 26 March 2004.
  5. "Fell-runner Lauren Jeska admits attempted murder of athletics official".
  6. "Who is Melanie Shaw, why is she locked up, and what do her supporters want? 3 January 2020".

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