United Kingdom · Shepton Mallet
HM Prison Shepton Mallet
Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date. Always verify with primary sources before acting on any figure. See data sources.
For families
How to send mail, money, and visit HM Prison Shepton Mallet
Step-by-step guidance using the United Kingdom system — addresses, money services, visit booking, what to bring on your first visit.
Gallery
From Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA where not otherwise stated).
Photo by Rodw via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by Rodw via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by Rodw via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by Rodw via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by Rodw via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by Rodw via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by Rodw via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by Rodw via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Background
HMP Shepton Mallet, sometimes known as Cornhill, is a former prison in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England. When it closed in 2013, it had been the United Kingdom's oldest operating prison, following the closure of HMP Lancaster Castle in 2011. Before closure, Shepton Mallet was a category C lifer prison holding 189 prisoners. The prison building is Grade II* listed, while the former gatehouse and perimeter walls are Grade II. The prison was opened before 1625 but was already in poor repair by the end of the First English Civil War in 1646. It was expanded in 1790 but conditions were again criticised in a report of 1822 and further building work was undertaken in the 1820s and 1830s.
Source: Wikipedia article lead, CC-BY-SA.
Capacity
—
Current population
—
Occupancy
—
Year opened
1625
Closed 2013
Figures from official sources · verified 29 May 2026 · methodology
Facility profile
Operator
The Campbell GroupPopulation held
Male
Opened
1625
Region
Shepton Mallet
Security level
—
Death-row facility
No
Conditions
No conditions summary available yet.
Visiting
No visiting information available.
Mailing
No mailing information available.
Practical info
Contact the operator's website for inmate-specific procedures.
Known issues
No major issues documented in our database.
Contact & address
Conditions Risk Score
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
Related facilities
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
- HMP WandsworthLondonHighLocal159% occupancy
- HMP FranklandDurhamMaximumLocal100% occupancy
- HMP BarlinnieGlasgowHighLocal147% occupancy
- HMP Cookham WoodKentHighLocal
- HMP PentonvilleLondonHighYOI137% occupancy
- HMP StyalWilmslowHighClosed female
Data completeness
24%How many of our profile fields are populated. We surface this so families and researchers know the limits.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Wikimedia Foundation
- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation
- Wikidata (Q5635257)
- Wikipedia
- Wikimedia Commons
- See /data-sources for our overall methodology.
Cite this page
Under CC-BY-4.0. Include the URL and access date; the site is a living reference and entries can change.
World Prisons. (2026). HM Prison Shepton Mallet. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hm-prison-shepton-mallet
"HM Prison Shepton Mallet." World Prisons. Accessed October 20, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hm-prison-shepton-mallet.
@misc{worldprisons-hm-prison-shepton-mallet,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {HM Prison Shepton Mallet},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/hm-prison-shepton-mallet},
urldate = {2026-10-20}
}