New Westminster Penitentiary - Retired Prisons on Waymarking.com

Welcome to the Pen.

The Penitentiary

Officially opened in September, 1878, the B.C. Penitentiary housed 23 inmates in its first year, 11 transferred from Victoria Gaol, and 12 from the Provincial Gaol in New Westminster. The first warden, Arthur McBride, had been governor of the Victoria Gaol for the previous 14 years.

The original prison was housed in a building of heavy stone construction with a mansard roof.

It became increasingly clear in the 1960's and 70's that the stone fortress no longer lent itself to modern penal approaches. There were a number of serious prison riots. The worst was the riot of 1976 when the inmates destroyed the East Wing.

It was decided then to close the Penitentiary and on February 15, 1980 the last of the inmates were moved to other facilities.

Open to the public: Yes Address: Not listed Hours: Not listed Fees?: Not listed Web link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
In order to add a new log to the waymark of this category, simply take another photo of the prison from a different angle than the other posts. Also add to the history of the jail when possible.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   10/01/2018 The A-Team visited it 03/21/2015 PAKRee visited it

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