Buckingham Old Gaol

Buckingham Old Gaol stands in the centre of Buckingham, on Market Hill. The building began as a prison in 1748 after an Act of Parliament of 1747. Richard Temple, the fourth baronet of Stowe, provided most of the money for its construction. It was designed in the Gothic style and once held the prize fighter Simon Byrne. George Gilbert Scott added the rounded front in 1839 for the jailer’s lodge. The gaol later became Buckingham’s police station for about sixty years. It then served as a fire station and housed a rifle company’s armoury. In the 1950s it turned into an antiques shop with a café. The building was rescued by the Buckingham Heritage Trust and reopened as a museum in 1993. A glass roof now covers the original exercise yard. Inside, visitors find cells that remain part of the displays. The museum tells the history of Buckingham and rural life. It holds the Flora Thompson Collection and exhibits from the Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust. Military items include early side drums with rope tension. The building also continues to serve as a shop and tourist information centre.