The Lock-Up or Round House

  • 1890s. The Lock-Up or Round House
  • The Lock-Up or Round House, date not known
  • The Lock-Up or Round House, date not known
  • c. 1938
  • Undated
  • Undated
Archive Notes:

Views of the Round House before the position of the wall was altered.

This building was a temporary prison built in 1834 in the corner of the parish stone pit, where bull-baiting continued after its suppression elsewhere. It was built of stones out of the parish pit. The date 1834 is quite certain as there are details about it in the minute book of the Vestry, as the body which then ruled the parish was called. The Lock-up was only used as such for six years. See article on record 680 explaining the background to the need for this lock-up.

The Parish Pit was a major limestone quarry, providing some high quality stone for many Wheatley buildings and for the building of Windsor Castle, Wallingford Castle, Merton and Magdalen Colleges. It is now a recreation ground, but if you go left to the row of trees, you will see the original depth of the quarry, and the cliff-face created.

In the background of the 1890s photo, is the picturesque white-washed Cromwell Cottage, now demolished, but was said to have been originally built for a servant of Cromwell’s, from which it got its name. There is a file of detailed information about this.

See record 680 for more information

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