The prison is the Fylde Coast’s only jail and opened in 1962. The actual site started out life as an RAF base and continued until 1945 where it remained closed until the facility was taken over by the Home Office and susequently opened as a prison. There had been a public inquiry into the Prison Commissioner’s plans to turn the site into a prison, with residents concerned about escapes, and the temptations of having a seaside resort nearby. These pictures show the site throughout the years - from an empty building in 1960, to the more recent past and offer a glimpse inside the cells at varying stages throughout the past six decades as well as key moments in its history.
7. Kirkham Prison
Prison Officer Robert Ellis and sniffer dog Rio where Operation Alcataraz had been completed to prevent drugs from entering the prison in 2004 Photo: Martin Bostock
9. Kirkham Prison
Pupils at Carr Hill High School in Kirkham were given two graphic demonstrations of the consequences of breaking the law with a mock prison cell and car crash involving a drink driver. One of the pupils experiences what a spell in prison would have been like in 2009 Photo: Rob Lock
11. Kirkham Prison
Kirkham Prison football team -The Nevadens- won the Blackpool Combination title in 1999 Photo: John Atkinson
