Village lock-up

A village lock-up is a historic building that was once used for the temporary detention of people in England and Wales, mostly where official prisons or criminal courts were beyond easy walking distance. Lockups were often used for the confinement of drunks, who were usually released the next day, or to hold people being brought before the local magistrate. Its archetypal form is a small room with a single door and a narrow slit window, grating or holes. Most feature a tiled or stone-built dome or spire as a roof and are built from brick, stone and/or timber.

Village lock-up

A village lock-up is a historic building that was once used for the temporary detention of people in England and Wales, mostly where official prisons or criminal courts were beyond easy walking distance. Lockups were often used for the confinement of drunks, who were usually released the next day, or to hold people being brought before the local magistrate. Its archetypal form is a small room with a single door and a narrow slit window, grating or holes. Most feature a tiled or stone-built dome or spire as a roof and are built from brick, stone and/or timber.