An exciting trip for the Boarders to Shepton Mallet Prison Escape Room

January 23rd 2022

Last Sunday afternoon, 22 King’s pupils and 4 members of King’s staff, including our Headmaster, were lined up, signed in and then banged up in prison cells with no chance of release.

Severely grilled on arrival by a formidable prison warder, who was taking no lip, their prospects were bleak indeed. And guess what... they had all snitched on their gang leader, so it was imperative that they should find a way out of those prison cells before aforesaid gang leader made a ‘casual’ visit that would have meant curtains for them all. An hour is all they had to plan their escape from their cells in Shepton Mallet Prison, but my goodness, did they need to be clever to get out. Cryptic clues, hidden keys, puzzles, numbers, red herrings and more needed to be sifted through and solved to join the dots and find ‘the combination’ which would lead them to freedom and safety. As they fumbled in the freezing cells of the Victorian prison (‘the cooler’ is an understatement!), trying to use their cunning, they were thrown by banging of doors, jangling of keys and imperatives screamed by the jail warders. Had somebody made it out?

Totally unaided by Mrs Ashworth, a small group of 3^rd Form girls - who deserve to be named: Lucy, Eva, Lottie, Annabel and Abigail - were the only pupils to break the code and get out. Girls you have a future in MI5. The others… well, who knows what happened to them.

The Sunday trip to Shepton Mallet Prison was indeed an eye-opening glimpse at the chilling atmosphere which has pervaded the penal system for centuries; Shepton Mallet prison was only decommissioned in 2013. Having managed to reassemble after the one-hour Escape Cell challenge, which was indeed challenging, the pupils were guided around the various prison wings and given the history of the prison from 1624 until its closure. The pupils were mute as they listened to the sobering stories of the multiplicity of crimes and punishments, and convicts, both men and women who had lived and died within those walls. The tour concluded with a visit to the execution tower. Most of the pupils were stunned to learn of hangings and executions taking place as late as the ‘40s, and even more stunned to see the photographs of the executioners - a job apparently passed down through subsequent generations in families.

The visit was worthwhile and memorable indeed, and though the aim of the trip was leisure, we can safely say that crime is one career option these pupils will not be keen to pursue.

Nicola Checketts - Trip Leader (and Head of EAL)

Watch a video of the trip, filmed by the pupils.