Buckingham Old Gaol

Buckingham Old Gaol Museum

The Old Gaol

Welcome to over 270 years of dark, damp, desperate prison life.

Explore the cells that housed murderers, counterfeiters, poachers and thieves. Find out who made daring escapes, and who didn’t survive to tell the tale.

The Museum

Walk through thousands of years of Buckingham history, from the prehistoric to the Second World War.

See the impact of the Ice Age in creating a striking local geology and reflect on the lives of the brave servicemen from the town and surrounding villages who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Great War.

We are an Arts Council of England Accredited Museum (No. 188).

The Tourist Information Centre

Everything you need for an exciting visit to Buckingham and the surrounding area.

Visit our shop for maps, books, tickets, postcards and locally-sourced gifts. You can also book the Old Gaol for your event at the TIC.

The History of the Old Gaol

The Old Gaol was built in 1748 by Richard Grenville Temple, Lord Viscount of Cobham. It was enlarged by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1839.

Prisoners were incarcerated in damp cells with no heating, lights or toilets and fed on bread, water, soup and gruel. They exercised in the courtyard and often spent time in the stocks for various misdemeanours.

3 people died in the gaol, one prisoner escaped over the wall and another walked out when the gaoler went home and forgot to lock the door. It is reputed to be haunted and paranormal investigators are regular visitors.

The building has been a police station, a fire station, an air-raid shelter and an ammunition store. In 1984, following threat of demolition, the building was brought by a charitable trust and saved for the town. It is now run and maintained by volunteers.