EXECUTION CELL AT WANDSWORTH PRISON JUST BEFORE DEMOLITION (2006)

An amazing little piece, taken from the series OFF THE BEATEN TRACK from 2006.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Wandsworth
• Prison
• Jail
• Gaol
• Hanging
• Execution
• History
• Murder

[alanheath3]

I would hardly call Bentley innocent. He knew what he was doing when he went out on a robbery even if I did not pull the trigger himself.

[GuildfordGhost]

@alanheath3 Alan, I concur that Bentley WAS a small-time criminal who knew what he was doing and certainly deserved a custodial sentence for the break-in (even if he was uner Craig's influence to an extent). However, he was innocent of MURDER and that's what people are discussing.

[slavehunter999]

wish they had left it as is was(Working gallows) just for history.

[Kelly14UK]

Ta! But why's there nothing on Evans and Allen 1964 on YT ?

[Kelly14UK]

See that very first scene, where the guy is standing @ 0:03? Is it true the Aussies would hang you there, in the middle, after locking all the prisoners in their cells?

eg Jean Lee 1951 ( last Aussie woman ).

[slavehunter999]

@knutgordon no mate all went in 2008. it was treason, piracy at sea or setting a fire in a royal dock yard. we were told that it had to go due to the human rights act.

What i do find strange is it says in the video all but wandsworth were taken out in the 60s however this could well be true as Syd Dernley claimed to have a gallows set up at home after he was sacked.

[knutgordon]

I thought there remained a somewhat bizarre and antiqued law dealing with high treason against the crown. Upper punishment for said offence involved hanging, castration, disembowelment, and chopping the body in 6 parts - all in rapid succession none the less -before the remains were to be put on display in prominent places across the kingdom. For males at least, as females was to be just burned at the stake to avoid public indecency. Rather unlikely to be carried out in these days, though 

[slavehunter999]

@knutgordon

For no crime can a person be put to death in the uk now. it was fully banned in 1998

and thats why the gallows was removed from the prison.. good to see thay have been saved. I think the same museum has harry allens case and tools and now the execution box with ropes and hood etc

[GuildfordGhost]

@tentheagle Why?

[knutgordon]

@slavehunter999

Its featured on their website, so I guess they still are there along with a noose from Wandsworth and a beam from the last surviving public execution gallows.

[slavehunter999]

@knutgordon

Are they still at Notingham justice place or moved now??

[knutgordon]

@slavehunter999

A shame indeed, but the trap doors was at least salvaged and are now a star attraction at a museum, complete with operational lever. They probably wouldn’t get away with hanging someone for treason these days, but it formally remain as a capital crime that punishment is to be carried out by hanging, drowning,or burning at the stake - so in theory it’s possible to re construct said working gallows.