Liverpool's Bridewell prison to become a hotel

Bridewell prison in Liverpool is to be transformed into a 85-bedroom hotel.

The Victorian, Grade-II-listed property, designed by John Weightman and located on Cheapside, is in the process of being refurbished by a new company called Stay Central, which plans to create "smart hotels, in smart locations".

Originally designed as a police station and courts complex for the Corporation of Liverpool, it was used as the city's main prison for more than 130 years until its closure in 1997.

Lee Darwenn, operations director of Stay Central, told the Liverpool Echo: "Having Bridewell as the first staycentral.com hotel is very exciting indeed. It's not just any normal building, it's steeped in history, it's in a brilliant location and most of all it fits with the ethos of the modern micro-hotel concept which staycentral.com will roll out nationwide in the coming years.

"The walls are super thick with layers of original British bond brick and the doors are solid oak, so there is no danger of being woken by noisy neighbours."

Bridewell's former exercise yard has been converted into a glass covered indoor lounge space, to provide a venue for music and leisure events, pop-up bars and business meetings.

Set to open in the spring, Stay Central's Bridewell Liverpool will follow in the footsteps of the former prison in Oxford, which closed in 1996 and was later converted to a Malmaison hotel.

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