Year 9 Experience Spooks and Scares at Bodmin Jail

Year 9 experienced spooks, scares and time for reflection today as they visited Bodmin Jail Attraction on a hair-raising History field trip.

The trip was all about exploring the history of capital punishment in the UK and Bodmin Jail has a fascinating past! Built in 1779, it served as a prison until 1923 and our fantastic tour guides explained that, during that time period, prisoners’ conditions changed drastically including the introduction of minimum age requirements, bedding, single-sex cells, disease prevention and re-education.

Bodmin Jail is rumoured to be one of the most haunted sites in Cornwall and the students felt chills when they learnt that, by law, all prisoners who were given the death penalty were buried within the grounds of the jail where they remain to this very day.

Year 9 will next be using this information in their unit on Contested Histories where they will be examining opinions on the good and the bad of prisons, crime and punishment over the course of history. More information on the Year 9 Curriculum can be found here.

We look forward to visiting again in a few weeks when the other half of our Year 9 population get to enjoy the trip.