Chatham Convict Prison
| Chatham Convict Prison | |
|---|---|
Interactive map of the Chatham Convict Prison area | |
| Alternative names | St Mary’s Prison |
| General information | |
| Status | Closed |
| Type | Prison |
| Location | St Mary's Island, Chatham, Kent, England |
| Coordinates | 51°23′53″N 0°32′15″E / 51.39819°N 0.53752°E |
| Construction started | 1856 |
| Completed | 1856 |
| Demolished | 1892 |
| Owner | Prison Commission (England and Wales) |
| Dimensions | |
| Other dimensions | Population: c. 1,700 (on or soon after opening) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Sir Joshua Jebb |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 1,135 |
Chatham Convict Prison was a large public-works penal establishment in St Mary's Island, Chatham, Kent, operating between 1856 and 1892. Designed by Major-General Sir Joshua Jebb, it was built to house male convicts employed on large civil and naval engineering works at Chatham Dockyard and the River Medway, and remained in operation until its closure in 1892. The prison formed a major phase in the transformation of St Mary’s Island from a marshy creek‑cut landscape into an engineered dockyard extension enclosed by a sea wall and three large basins.
Over its 36-year history, the prison became notorious for its "hell upon earth" conditions, culminating in a massive riot in 1861 involving over 850 inmates. Following its closure in 1892, the site taken over by the Admiralty, demolished and then repurposed as the Royal Naval Barracks (HMS Pembroke), and today forms part of the Universities at Medway campus.