Gin not porridge: Inside the ‘haunted’ 18th-century jail turned into a luxury hotel

One of the UK’s ‘most haunted’ buildings has been reimagined as a luxury hotel.

Bodmin Jail, an 18th-century prison that dates back to 1774 has now been remodelled as a luxury hotel, aptly named the Bodmin Jail Hotel.

The hotel in Cornwall will open in February 2021 following a £50 million restoration by Mallino Developments Limited. It was designed by London-based Twelve Architects and has taken more than two years to complete.

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The building, which has featured in the reality show ‘Most Haunted’, will now boast 70 rooms and will retain many of its original features, including weathered stone walls and jail cell doors.

Inside, guests will discover a restaurant, bistro, a cocktail and gin bar serving a selection of 100 gins from around the world and, for sunny days, there will be an alfresco dining area, too.

While wedding parties are currently limited in the UK due to the pandemic, when restrictions lift the hotel claims it will also become the biggest wedding venue in Cornwall - with space for up to 300 guests.

Rajesh Joshi, resort CEO for The Bodmin Jail Hotel, said: “The opening of The Bodmin Jail Hotel is a proud moment for Cornwall tourism, and is also about celebrating Cornwall’s history. Through painstaking restoration and preservation, we are returning a national heritage asset to its former glory and creating a cultural showpiece that will attract guests from across the world.

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“Over 90% of the former jail is now within the hotel and its grounds; this is luxury accommodation in a truly unique venue - there is nowhere else quite like it.”

Guests who want to discover more of the history of Bodmin Jail are in luck too. A separate venture, the Bodmin Jail Attraction, which operates independently of the hotel has opened up on the same site and will see visitors undergo an immersive experience to see what the prison was like.

Rooms at Bodmin Jail Hotel star from £130 per night, find out more information at bodminjailhotel.com

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