Wandsworth Prison: The Hangman’s Ghosts

Wandsworth Prison in south London has been a place of incarceration since 1851. As one of the busiest prisons in the UK, it has held countless inmates over the decades. Between 1878 and 1961, Wandsworth served as an execution site, with 135 people hanged within its walls. The prison still operates today, and staff and inmates alike report ongoing paranormal activity, particularly around the former execution chamber and condemned cells.

The History

Victorian Foundation

Built in 1851 on the site of the Royal Victoria Patriotic Asylum, Wandsworth was designed to hold 1,000 prisoners. It quickly became one of London’s primary detention facilities.

The Execution Era

Wandsworth’s role as an execution site began in 1878:

• 135 people were hanged over 83 years
• The last execution took place in 1961
• Notable executions included Derek Bentley (1953), whose controversial hanging led to posthumous pardon
• The execution shed stood in a corner of the prison yard
• Bodies were buried in unmarked graves within the prison walls

Notable Inmates

The prison has held numerous infamous prisoners:

• Oscar Wilde (briefly, before transfer to Reading)
• Ronnie Biggs
• The Kray twins
• Derek Bentley
• John Haigh, the “Acid Bath Murderer”

The Hauntings

The Execution Chamber

The former execution shed is the epicenter of paranormal activity:

• Staff report overwhelming feelings of dread when near the site
• The sound of the trapdoor mechanism
• Choking and gasping sounds
• Shadow figures with heads at unnatural angles
• Cold spots that persist regardless of weather

The Condemned Cells

Where prisoners spent their final hours:

• Cell doors slam shut on their own
• Pacing footsteps from empty cells
• Whispered prayers and sobbing
• Intense feelings of despair and fear
• The clock seems to stop at execution times

Derek Bentley’s Ghost

The teenager hanged in 1953 for a murder he didn’t commit:

• His apparition has been seen near the condemned cells
• A young man looking confused and frightened
• Some witnesses report hearing him say “I didn’t do it”
• His case became a symbol of capital punishment’s failings

The Burial Ground

Within the prison walls, unmarked graves hold the executed:

• Strange lights seen at night
• The feeling of being watched
• Figures standing over the burial area
• Those denied proper burial seem to linger

A-Wing Phenomena

The oldest wing of the prison:

• Footsteps in locked corridors
• Doors that unlock themselves
• Victorian-era prisoners still serving their sentences
• The past refuses to stay buried

Staff Testimonies

Prison officers have decades of experiences:

• New officers warned about certain areas
• Night shift workers refuse to patrol alone in some wings
• Consistent reports across different decades
• The phenomena are accepted as part of prison life

Modern Prison

Wandsworth continues to operate as a Category B men’s prison, holding around 1,600 inmates. The paranormal activity persists, with both staff and prisoners reporting experiences that defy explanation.

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Wandsworth Prison has held criminals for over 170 years and executed 135 people. The ghosts of the hanged—particularly those executed unjustly—refuse to leave the site of their deaths. They pace the condemned cells, await execution that will never come, and seek the justice they were denied in life.