Although Timequest’s seed was firmly planted in the winter of 2005, the fascination with abandoned locations and old prisons begins in the mid 1990’s with a trip to the prison hostel in Ottawa, Canada, whereby free lodging could be acquired if one was to spend the night on one’s own on the top floor, which from memory was the last poignant reminder of the prison itself.

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According to legend my somewhat feeble excuse for bailing out on such a prospect was that we were on a package tour and had to follow the strict routine of high command. The decision was either the 5-star hotel or a night behind bars, how times have changed!

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My baptism into the world of historical research came about after being invited by a paranormal investigations team to spend a night at the Olde Salutation pub in Nottingham. There we met the marketing manager of the Galleries of Justice and the event eventually led to six month residency of popular haunted lock ins. The events lead to me working more academically on a number of bespoke research projects ultimately becoming involved in a magazine sponsored by a well know TV show at that time.

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I remember fondly being granted access to the archives at the Galleries of Justice as was soon bowled over by the stories and facts surrounding this remarkable location and its sense of mystery has lasted with me.

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My quest continued by visiting a number of locations throughout the UK while also being involved as guest historian for a number of public tours around England’s inner sanctum working with ex members of the renowned TV show above, alongside filming an advert down in Battle, near Hastings. A DVD was released of an event at St James’ Theatre in Nottingham.

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A break of several years helped generate a renewed energy for finding places of remarkable interest in the South West. By 2017 I had run the gamut of all National Trust locations in Somerset yet a random internet search engine result steered me in the direction of Shepton Mallet, and more importantly the prison.

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The sense of mystery from my Galleries days came flooding back in an instance and I felt compelled to study more about the location. Already two solid publications had been released by Francis Disney who had already seen many years at the prison in active service.

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