The Bridewell Undercroft

Underneath the Bridewell lies a secret..... the largest vaulted undercroft in the city. These rooms were part of the original medieval house and were used for storage.

The undercroft was also used to hold inmates when the building was a Bridewell (a house of correction and prison) and an inventory of 1813, lists 'posts and chains'.  The undercroft would not have been a nice place to be; it would have been very cold and dark down there.

The undercroft is not open to the public as part of general admission.

For those wanting to know more, there is a short film about the undercroft on our YouTube channel.

Tours are arranged at various points throughout the year and information on these can be found on our What's On page.

Please note that the undercroft is accessible via steep steps and is therefore not accessible to wheelchair users.