Visitors to The National Forest will be able to get a rare glimpse into the fascinating history of the quirky lock-ups - where people were put up or shut up – on the national Heritage Open Days in September. For the first time all five lock-ups in and around The National Forest area will be open to the public on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th September from 1-5:30pm.
These fascinating buildings are at Breedon on the Hill, Packington and Worthington within the district of North West Leicestershire; Smisby and Ticknall within South Derbyshire.
Lock-ups, also known as round houses, cage, lobby, watch house, blind houses and clinks are small windowless brick or stone buildings that can be square, rectangular, octagonal or occasionally circular. Evidence suggests that these local lock-ups were most probably used for confining drunks who were usually released the next day, with no record kept of their incarceration.
In Ticknall, however, after the constable had gone home, the drunken prisoners were sometimes released by the landlady of the local public house, whose back door key fitted the lock-up!
As well as confining drunken villagers, the lock-ups were also used to detain local rogues and vagrants until they could be moved on to a town and were used as temporary holding places for offenders being brought before the magistrate. The earliest recorded lock-up dates from the 13th Century and most fell out of use when police stations established their own holding facilities.
Penny Wilkinson from the National Forest Company said: “North West Leicestershire and South Derbyshire District Councils have liaised with the lock-up owners to arrange this weekend’s special opening and I hope lots of people will take the opportunity to have a sneaky peek inside. There are only a few places across the country that these quirky historical buildings can be seen.
“We have produced a map, available from the three Tourist Information Centres across the area, that highlights the location of each lock-up and enables visitors to navigate between all five. This would make a brilliant day’s cycle tour on the quiet country lanes that link the villages.”
Visitors to the lock-ups will also be able to read more about the heritage and rich history of the villages and these unusual buildings from the temporary displays created as part of the special Heritage Open Days. And as well as its information board that brings the local history to life, Breedon on the Hill’s adjoining pinfold will also be open during this weekend. Pinfolds date back to medieval times when stray animals were held until they were claimed by their owners.
More information and a map is available from the three Tourist Information Centres in The National Forest – Ashby de la Zouch, Swadlincote and Burton upon Trent.
For more information on where to go, what to see and places to stay in and around The National Forest, the 2006 visitor guides to the Forest and its immediate environs are bursting with great ideas. The National Forest Company has also produced a pack of Forest walks from 3 to 22 miles long.
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