Coldbath Fields Prison
Bird's-eye view of Coldbath Fields. | |
| Location | Clerkenwell, London |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°31′31″N 0°06′46″W / 51.52528°N 0.11278°W |
| Status | Closed |
| Capacity | 2,000 |
| Population | 1,700 (as of 1877) |
| Opened | 1794 |
| Closed | 1885 |
| Former name | Middlesex House of Correction |
| Managed by | Middlesex Guildhall |
| Notable prisoners | |
| Edward Marcus Despard, William Thomas Stead, Owen Suffolk | |
Coldbath Fields Prison, also formerly known as the Middlesex House of Correction and Clerkenwell Gaol and informally known as the Steel, was a prison in the Mount Pleasant area of Clerkenwell, London. Founded in the reign of James I (1603–1625) it was completely rebuilt in 1794 and extended in 1850. It housed prisoners on short sentences of up to two years. Blocks emerged to segregate felons, misdemeanants and vagrants.