52°37′38.72″N 1°7′54.92″W / 52.6274222°N 1.1319222°W
 HM Prison Leicester in 2008 | |
 | |
| Location | Leicester, Leicestershire |
|---|---|
| Security class | cat B |
| Population | 408 (as of July 2013) |
| Opened | 1828 |
| Managed by | HM Prison Services |
| Governor | Jim Donaldson [1] |
| Website | Leicester at justice.gov.uk |
HM Prison Leicester is a Category B men's Local prison, located on Welford Road in the centre of Leicester, Leicestershire, England. The term 'local' means that the prison holds people on remand to the local courts, as well as sentenced prisoners. Leicester Prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service, and is situated immediately north of Nelson Mandela Park (formerly Welford Road Recreation Ground).
According to Colin Crosby, a Blue Badge guide based in Leicester,[2] tourists invariably ask if the prison is 'Leicester Castle', due to the embattled, medieval design of its frontage, and its unique appearance has also made it one of the city's most celebrated landmarks. Known throughout the nineteenth century as the 'County Gaol', today the prison has become synonymous with the thoroughfare on which it stands, and is commonly referred to as 'Welford Road Prison', or simply, 'Welford Road'.[3]
- ^ "Leicester Prison information". Department of Justice. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
- ^ "Home". crosbyheritage.co.uk.
- ^ BBC Radio Leicester website, "Where I Live in Leicester", 24 September 2014