The prison at Greenock used to be situated on the west side of Bank Street behind what is now Wellpark Mid Kirk in the town. This description of the prison was given by Prison Inspectors in the 1830s.
"The building is old and ill constructed, and the propriety of either building a new prison or of making extensive alterations in the present one has been frequently considered. The prison is situated in a central part of the town, and is near the bottom of a hill, the water that drains from which frequently causes parts of the prison to be damp."
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| Source - Watt Institution |
"The prison is in a very confined situation, and persons without sometimes get on the surrounding wall and communicate with the prisoners, either by calling to the, or occasionally by throwing small packets in at the windows. The prison is moderately secure, although escapes are sometimes effected. The number of cells is generally sufficient … so far as to have not more than two prisoners in the same cell."
"The prison is kept in a very clean state, but it is very ill ventilated. Most of the cells are dry, but some of them are damp. Such as are heated artificially are so by means of open fires or a stove. There are, however, but few that are heated at all, and the complaints of the prisoners respecting the cold appear to be well founded, for the employment to which they are put, viz. picking oakum and teasing hair, can do very little towards exciting animal warmth. The same cells are used for working and sleeping."
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| Greenock Sheriff Court, Nelson Street, Greenock |
This building remained as the prison until a new prison was built behind the Sheriff Court in Nelson Street in the late 1860s.
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