Discover Ontario's history as told through its plaques
2004 - Now in our 15th Year - 2019
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Huron County Gaol
Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted March, 2010
Plaque Location
The County of Huron
The Town of Goderich
On the west side of Victoria Street North (Highway 21)
just north of Napier Street
Coordinates: N 43 45.001 W 81 42.500 |
 |
Plaque Text
Erected between 1839 and 1841, this remarkably preserved building follows Jeremy Bentham's Panopticon design for prison construction, often found in mid-19th-century Britain and America. It features an octagonal central block, intended to ensure constant supervision of prisoners' activities. Two radial wings and wedge-shaped exercise yards surrounded by thick masonry walls completed the original design by Thomas Young of Toronto. Construction of this prison with its third floor courtroom enabled Huron to qualify as a district separate from London, with Goderich as its seat.
Related Toronto plaque
Don Jail 1859-1864
More
Goderich Plaques
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