Please note that visitors are advised to utilise the parking facilities at Sainsbury's, as parking is limited on-site. Thanks to the cooperation of the supermarket, visitors can park there for up to two and a half hours.

Heritage Guided Tour

  • Tours on every day
  • Running at: 9.30am, 1pm and 3.00pm
  • Duration: 2 hours
  • Parental discretion
  • Step count - approx 1000
  • Adult £27.50pp | Child £20pp

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Tour Overview *Please note, our Heritage Tours are only available in English.

Join one of our award-winning Heritage Guides and experience a personal, in-depth historical tour through Bodmin Jail. Designed by Sir John Call and built in 1779, Bodmin Jail was originally built for King George III and is an excellent example of the ingenuity and engineering prowess of Victorian architects.

From the crimes to the courthouse and gallows to the grave, Bodmin Jail provides a unique opportunity to get up close to the Georgians and the Victorians.  Our Guides will take you from the eighteenth century ‘Bloody Code’ to the last execution in Cornwall in 1909.  On the way you will experience what life was like for our prisoners behind bars, visit the infamous Victorian execution pit, now restored to full working condition, and gain an insight into the kinds of crimes being committed that may have earned you the noose.

Arsenic poisoners to arsonists, murderers to mutinous hanging crowds, Bodmin Jail’s Guided Heritage Tour is one of our most popular tours, steeped in history and suitable for the whole family.

You can meet our amazing Heritage Team here

We also run Seasonal tours throughout the year that replace our Standard tour with different and exciting themes! Find out more information here

 

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Seasonal Tours

These replace the standard Heritage Tour at certain times of year.

We’ll break your hearts, not your necks with the ‘Broken Hearts’ tour this February.

Find out more here

Discover hanging folklore, infamous hangmen and punishments beyond the grave this April. You’d be foolish not to.

Find out more here

This Halloween, Bodmin Jail is stepping into their darkest stories and history. An eye-opening heritage tour will bring you up close to the Georgians and Victorians at their most grim.

Find out more here

This December Bodmin Jail invites you to take a festive jaunt through the Victorian period as we meet the naughty or nice of the 1800s.

Find out more here