Dorchester Prison Events and Experiences

04/10/2023

The tour dates for November have now been added to our website.
Come and have a look around our historic prison with a tour packed full of the history of the place and also a few stories about the more recent goings on during day to day prison life with our serving prison officer Ed...

If you're feeling a little more adventurous we also have a couple of our ever popular ghost tours planned for November too! These sell out pretty quickly normally so get them booked up now to avoid disappointment!

https://www.gloucester-prison.co.uk/ourshop/cat_1804652-Dorchester-Ghost-Tours.html

https://www.gloucester-prison.co.uk/ourshop/prod_8053832-Dorchester-Prison-Tours.html

25/08/2023

DON'T MISS YOUR LAST CHANCE!!

Our last market is happening at the prison tomorrow!
Come and join us for the last one of our popular indoor markets, have s look around our stunning old prison and do some shopping at the same time 🙂🙂

Guided tours running hourly.

18/08/2023

Don’t forget to join Ed and Steve on their ghost tour!

Tickets here:

https://www.gloucester-prison.co.uk/ourshop/prod_7971846-Dorchester-Ghost-Tour.html

17/08/2023

Less than a week now until the next tour dates.
There won't be many chances left to see our historic prison in all its glory!
Book now and enjoy a historical tour with Ed our serving prison officer.

If you'd like something a little spookier we are also offering a ghost tour on Friday 25th August.... 👻 👽 😱

https://www.gloucester-prison.co.uk/ourshop/prod_7971846-Dorchester-Ghost-Tour.html

11/08/2023

Our next ghost tour is now available to book on Friday 25th August.
Limited to 40 tickets so get them while they're hot! 👻 👽

https://www.gloucester-prison.co.uk/ourshop/prod_7971846-Dorchester-Ghost-Tour.html

11/08/2023

Next round of tours are now available to book!
Starting on Wednesday 23rd August......
Come and spend some time with Ed our charismatic tour guide and serving prison officer, he'll show you around our amazing historic prison and tell you all about the history of the place. Having worked here for 10 years up until it closed, Ed has lots of stories to tell and a vast amount of knowledge regarding the history of the old place.
Top tip! Ed can't resist a chat, ask lots of questions and your 90 min tour will be closer to 2 hours!! 😉😉

01/08/2023

Looking for something to do on a rainy Wednesday?
Why not join us for a couple of hours and learn about the history and goings on in our amazing prison.
Ed, our serving prison officer will guide you through the history and the building with his vast knowledge, and sometimes charm, on a tour you will not forget....

16/07/2023

Last few tickets available for our ghost tour on the 28th of this month....

https://www.gloucester-prison.co.uk/ourshop/prod_7971846-Dorchester-Ghost-Tour.html

15/07/2023

All set up and ready to go!

14/07/2023

Our Saturday market is still going ahead as planned tomorrow, all stalls have been moved inside so no need to worry about the rain while you're shopping!!!

All of our traders have some arresting products to cell!

See you there 😁😁

13/07/2023

Dorchester prison Saturday market is this Saturday! Heres a snapshot of a few of the stalls you can expect to find......

Face painter!
Sweety shop
Ants on a Rock
Dorset eco
Ted's b***y
Body shop
Scentsy
Local artist
Local author
Jewellery
Upcycled denim
Clothes stall
Resin items
Militaria
Pottery
RUM!!

plus lots more including coffee van and burger bar.

13/07/2023

Looking for something to do this rainy Saturday???

We have 2 amazing buildings here in the centre of Dorchester holding markets, these iconic buildings hold so much history between them and you can visit them both for free and do some shopping to boot!

Both markets are being held inside so you don't need to worry about the rain.
They're a couple of minutes walk apart too so very convenient, it's almost like we planned this!!

Dorchester Prison Events and Experiences is just off north square Dt11wu

Shire Hall Museum is on high West Street dt11uy

Lots of public car parks just a few minutes walk away......

04/07/2023

Still have a few (5) outside pitches left at the prison market on the 15th.
Please get in touch if interested.

28/06/2023

Our ghost tour is back!
The first one was a success and sold out within days.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to explore our old prison in the dark of night and hear some spooky tales....

Join wannabe ghost Hunters Ed and Steve on a Ghost Tour of Dorchester Prison. A 2 and a half hour long Ghost Tour at Dorchester Prison Friday 28th July. Think of this as a "Hunt Light" some history, some stories, some looking for ghosts but most of all a lot of fun in the dark 8.30pm till 11.00pm is...

08/06/2023

We still have space for sellers at

Dorchester prison market and carboot sale 17th june.

Please contact us at [email protected] to book!

Booking is essential.

05/06/2023

The next Saturday market here at Dorchester Prison is on 17th june.

We still have some space for traders, both inside and outdoor pitches available.

Pitches start from just £10.

Contact us at

[email protected]

We also have a few carboot pitches available too at just £8 per car!

Booking is essential

Tours, events and experiences of this fantastic historic venue.

25/05/2023

Still limited spaces left for our comedy night here at HMP DORCHESTER!

Get in quick and have a night to remember full of laughs and fun.

Did I mention there's a bar serving cocktails too???

24/05/2023

Our first market proved very busy so we're looking for more traders for our next one on June 17th. Anyone interested get in touch!

Either message our page or email me at...
[email protected]

13/05/2023

With only one week to go until our first market here at the prison, we're getting a little bit excited!

It's proving to be very popular all over Dorset by the looks of things....
if you'd like to get involved we still have limited spaces left for market traders and car booters.
Just send us a message if you'd like more info 🙂

11/05/2023

1ST DORCHESTER PRISON SATURDAY MARKET 20TH MAY 2023!!

Market starts at 9 and finishes at 3.
Lots of stalls including....

Cheeseman
Butcher
Jewellery
Pizza van
Coffee van
Vintage clothing
Militaria
Local artist
Dog toys and treats

A separate craft area!

Carboot sale with room for 40 cars!

We will also be offering hourly guided tours of the prison.

Come and join us for a few hours, grab some bargains and have a look around our amazing historic building!

Limited on parking only for blue badge holders....

07/05/2023

Happy birthday to Steve Foskett our on site overlord.

Have a great day!

13/04/2023

The once a month Saturday Market is happening!!
First one is on Saturday 20th May.
Please get in touch if you'd like to have a pitch 🙂

11/04/2023

Dorchester prison ghost tour tickets are now available!
A chance to have a look around our haunted prison!!?

https://www.gloucester-prison.co.uk/ourshop/prod_7971846-Dorchester-Ghost-Tour.html

Limited tickets available so get in quick.

Join wannabe ghost Hunters Ed and Steve on a Ghost Tour of Dorchester Prison. A 2 and a half hour long Ghost Tour at Dorchester Prison Friday 26th May. Think of this as a "Hunt Light" some history, some stories, some looking for ghosts but most of all a lot of fun in the dark 8pm till 11.30pm ish. H...

07/04/2023

Still spaces available in the tours of Dorchester Prison on 15th April. Step back in time to where hundreds of people have done 'time'.
www.dorchester-prison.co.uk
for tickets. See you there!

AS THE CUSTODIANS OF 2 AMAZING FORMER VICTORIAN PRISONS HMP GLOUCESTER AND HMP DORCHESTER, WE AIM TO OFFER SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE! RUNNING AROUND PLAYING SOLDIERS, HUNTING FOR GHOSTS, SHOOTING YOUR NEXT ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN, WE ARE A UNIQUE SPACE WITH AN EMPHASIS ON BEING DIFFERENT. OPERATED BY CRAC...

16/03/2023

Nearly 2 years ago HMP Dorchester was transformed into a film set to appear in the new Netflix hit "Luther The Fallen Sun". Come see the areas used, the hero cell and the landings Idris Elba fought to escape from!

Tours here:

https://www.gloucester-prison.co.uk/dorchester-guided-tours.html

13/03/2023

We're not just a film set you know!

We have lots of space and interesting places within our grounds that we hire out too, get in touch if you'd like some more information about hiring the sports hall (we have goals, netball and badminton equipment)

Large rooms for meetings or exercise, the one in the pictures has been used as a gym, for bingo, nhs rehab sessions etc.

Of course we also have the main prison that has been used for all sorts of filming from low budget student films and music videos up to Bbc series The Gold and Netflix blockbusters such as Luther.

We also offer tours and run airsoft here too!

Get in touch if you're interested, we'll find something that suits I'm sure!

10/03/2023

Out tonight, see Dorchester Prison on the big or little screen! Not sure where the flats are in the panoramic shots though!

Come and see Luthers Cell!

07/03/2023

Still spaces available for March 18th - including the last 'lights out' tour for this year! New dates are up for April 1st & 14th. Come along and see what's behind the wall surrounding the 'Big House' that is Dorchester Prison.

06/02/2023

We're incredibly grateful to Humphries Kirk Solicitors for supporting our work with schools across Dorset.

From Early Years to Higher Education, our award-winning learning programme encourages the development of critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills.

The activities and sessions we have developed enhance students’ learning through their hands-on interaction with this incredibly special building and its history.

As a registered charity, support from organisations such as Humphries Kirk is essential in helping us continue our outreach work.

For more information about our Learning programme, please visit our website:

https://shirehalldorset.org/learn/

05/02/2023

Dorchester Prison Guided Tours

New date added 18th March!

Come and join Ed on one of our fantastic tours, sold out this weekend! Ed is a serving officer who spent 12 years at Dorchester Prison and his enthusiasm for the prison and it’s history is clear to see. He’s also quite funny!

Come and check out the prison, it’s featured in two productions on TV this month!!!

T I Kets here:

https://www.gloucester-prison.co.uk/ourshop/cat_1742373-Dorchester-Prison.html

31/01/2023

Museum

22/01/2023

A new date for an amazing tour of Dorchester Prison is up - 4th March. There are still spaces available on 4th & 18th February, too. Times are 2, 4, & 6pm, the last timeslot is 'lights out'. It gets very dark and not a little spooky. Bring a torch!
Go to: Https://www.gloucester-prison.co.uk/ourshop/cat_1742373
and follow the links to book. See you there!

21/01/2023

Recall workshop!

On the 28th January at 1000 we're running a recall workshop at Dorchester Prison Events and Experiences

This workshop is perfect for any dog no matter what stage their recall is at. If you have a dog who stares blankly or straight up ignores you when you call, we'll cover the basics and how to retrain a better recall. Or if your dog comes back, but on their own time we'll cover how to tighten up the skills you already have.

£50 for the 1.5 hour workshop message us for more information or to book.

10/01/2023

Do you want to visit an old Victorian building, steeped in history, hardship and humourous tales? Well, come to Dorchester Prison for a guided tour! Dates are now up for February - the 4th & 18th. Don't forget January 21st as well. All are welcome. The times are 2pm, 4pm, and 6pm. The last one is 'lights out'. Come to that one if you dare.......

Ti ckets here:

https://www.gloucester-prison.co.uk/ourshop/cat_1742373-Dorchester-Prison.html

30/12/2022

January Tour Dates are up and bookable. Go to www.dorchester-prison.co.uk
And follow the links. Hopefully the February dates will follow very soon.

AS THE CUSTODIANS OF 2 AMAZING FORMER VICTORIAN PRISONS, WE AIM TO OFFER SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE! RUNNING AROUND PLAYING SOLDIERS, HUNTING FOR GHOSTS, SHOOTING YOUR NEXT ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN, WE ARE A UNIQUE SPACE WITH AN EMPHASIS ON BEING DIFFERENT. OPERATED BY CRACKINGDAY LTD, SPECIALISTS IN HAVING...

16/12/2022

With a new year comes new tour dates for Dorchester Prison! Come and visit the unique Victorian gaol and drink in the atmosphere! The dates are 7th & 21st January and 4th & 18th February. The times will be 2pm, 4pm and a slightly spooky 6pm. For the last one you will need a torch....and a steely nerve! Come on down and join us!

27/11/2022

19/11/2022

Don't forget - this Saturday is the last day this year for tours around our iconic Victorian prison. Places still available!
We'll see you there.