Timenspace
Legendary Member
My phone's gallery has been playing some tricks with me, but I screenshot the pic, similar to TastyReuben 's one...
Today’s pics
- Thread starter SandwichShortOfAPicnic
- Start date
Timenspace
Legendary Member
Shaded walk and some clouds, hurray!
SandwichShortOfAPicnic
Legendary Member
Technically yesterday but I won't tell if you don't 
Visited Shepton Mallet Prison which stopped operating as a prison in 2013
There has been a prison on this site since the 1400's and part of the original cells are still accessible, essentially dark windowless holes with dirt floors.
Part of the 16th century gateway which wasn't used after the Victorians built the majority of the prison you see today because it wasn't secure enough, it opens out onto a narrow residential street.
The 16th century steps up to gate keepers lodge over the originally gateway. They are tight and narrow, the place up there is pretty creepy but brilliant to see the two rooms in their untouched form.
The central exercise yard.
This might interest our American friends -
This was originally all garden until it was used by the American military 1942-1945 to house their military prisoners and they needed a drill yard.
The prison was then packed to the rafters, way past its 180 prisoner capacity with over 760 American military prisoners, that meant more than 6 people in a single person cell, sometimes 9 so conditions were very poor.
They declared the the prison grounds for the duration of the stay as American soil because this meant that prisoners could be tried under American law not British.
This led to 18 executions in this very short period, more than double ever recorded in this time span in the prisons previous 400 years of records.
The British custom was to execute someone as quickly as possible with it taking a mere 8-20 seconds to move someone from the holding cell and hang them. The entrance to the execution room was actually in the holding cell hidden behind a bookcase!
The American Military procedure stood them on the trapdoor for up to ten minutes whilst their military career and charges were read.
It was considered inhumane and caused a lot friction between the English executioner and the American military.
This isn't my pic but this is how it looks like inside except it's far more dilapidated now. The ground floor has been kept in good condition as it's frequently used by film production companies but the rest is just piles and piles of peeled paint.
There is no canteen in British prisons. Prisoners eat their food in their cell. This is due to large groups of prisoners being difficult to control so if you see lunch tables on the TV in a British prison that's a fiction.
The dangerous time was slopping out time when prisoners had to empty the cell bucket. In Shepton Mallet they didn't install toilets or showers until 1990!
Washing was allowed once a week but during the American military usage due to high numbers you only got to wash once every three weeks!!
It was lovely to be able to wander around and let yourself into whatever rooms you fancied looking at.
It was so sad to see the brutal reality of hard labour.
Hard labour meant life expectancy at the prison was four months.
With no antibiotics and no anaesthetic if infections didn't clear up by themselves (which they don't if you're on a wheel and climbing the equivalent of 10,000 feet a day) then they'd hold you down and saw off the afflicted part (usually the leg) as quickly as they could, chances of survival were about 30%
The 'Bloody Code' was the name for the English legal system from the late 17th century to the early 19th century. It was called this because the number of offences that could get you the death penalty rose from 50 to 220 and included things like stealing something worth more than 12 pence (that was about one twentieth of a skilled labourers weekly wage at the time).
There was a sharp increase in executions but they favoured penal transportation initially to America but then the political instability meant they switched to transporting people for the most minor infractions to Australia.
There's a lot more fascinating stuff but it's too much to post so if you ever find yourself in Shepton Mallet cough up for the guided tour and you won't be disappointed, horrified but not disappointed!
Visited Shepton Mallet Prison which stopped operating as a prison in 2013
There has been a prison on this site since the 1400's and part of the original cells are still accessible, essentially dark windowless holes with dirt floors.
Part of the 16th century gateway which wasn't used after the Victorians built the majority of the prison you see today because it wasn't secure enough, it opens out onto a narrow residential street.
The 16th century steps up to gate keepers lodge over the originally gateway. They are tight and narrow, the place up there is pretty creepy but brilliant to see the two rooms in their untouched form.
The central exercise yard.
This might interest our American friends -
This was originally all garden until it was used by the American military 1942-1945 to house their military prisoners and they needed a drill yard.
The prison was then packed to the rafters, way past its 180 prisoner capacity with over 760 American military prisoners, that meant more than 6 people in a single person cell, sometimes 9 so conditions were very poor.
They declared the the prison grounds for the duration of the stay as American soil because this meant that prisoners could be tried under American law not British.
This led to 18 executions in this very short period, more than double ever recorded in this time span in the prisons previous 400 years of records.
The British custom was to execute someone as quickly as possible with it taking a mere 8-20 seconds to move someone from the holding cell and hang them. The entrance to the execution room was actually in the holding cell hidden behind a bookcase!
The American Military procedure stood them on the trapdoor for up to ten minutes whilst their military career and charges were read.
It was considered inhumane and caused a lot friction between the English executioner and the American military.
This isn't my pic but this is how it looks like inside except it's far more dilapidated now. The ground floor has been kept in good condition as it's frequently used by film production companies but the rest is just piles and piles of peeled paint.
There is no canteen in British prisons. Prisoners eat their food in their cell. This is due to large groups of prisoners being difficult to control so if you see lunch tables on the TV in a British prison that's a fiction.
The dangerous time was slopping out time when prisoners had to empty the cell bucket. In Shepton Mallet they didn't install toilets or showers until 1990!
Washing was allowed once a week but during the American military usage due to high numbers you only got to wash once every three weeks!!
It was lovely to be able to wander around and let yourself into whatever rooms you fancied looking at.
It was so sad to see the brutal reality of hard labour.
Hard labour meant life expectancy at the prison was four months.
With no antibiotics and no anaesthetic if infections didn't clear up by themselves (which they don't if you're on a wheel and climbing the equivalent of 10,000 feet a day) then they'd hold you down and saw off the afflicted part (usually the leg) as quickly as they could, chances of survival were about 30%
The 'Bloody Code' was the name for the English legal system from the late 17th century to the early 19th century. It was called this because the number of offences that could get you the death penalty rose from 50 to 220 and included things like stealing something worth more than 12 pence (that was about one twentieth of a skilled labourers weekly wage at the time).
There was a sharp increase in executions but they favoured penal transportation initially to America but then the political instability meant they switched to transporting people for the most minor infractions to Australia.
There's a lot more fascinating stuff but it's too much to post so if you ever find yourself in Shepton Mallet cough up for the guided tour and you won't be disappointed, horrified but not disappointed!
Timenspace
Legendary Member
Impressions of the city, after the edu.
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Nice morning
JAS_OH1
Forum GOD!
Timenspace
Legendary Member
Today's impressions.
Timenspace
Legendary Member
Thrilled to have discovered a poetry path, just behind the church. Even my boyfriend did not know about it.
Very moving. The verses are carved in marmor. Roses grow in front. It is love poetry, so I showed him several that I liked best. Very humble to look at, but in the spectator's eye and soul, leaving a mark.
And other lovely sights from/before/after/in midst today's edu.
The lecturer is local, but moved to Boston with his wife, and is finishing his doctoral in Toronto, paralelly.
Lectures were really good.
Very moving. The verses are carved in marmor. Roses grow in front. It is love poetry, so I showed him several that I liked best. Very humble to look at, but in the spectator's eye and soul, leaving a mark.
And other lovely sights from/before/after/in midst today's edu.
The lecturer is local, but moved to Boston with his wife, and is finishing his doctoral in Toronto, paralelly.
Lectures were really good.
Timenspace
Legendary Member
Weather was n8ce and sunny, with a breeze, and moderately hot, 30c, 31c.
Windigo
Kitchen Witch
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My main doctor said I look great today, I wonder if you agree?
Also bonus holiday selfie:
Also bonus holiday selfie:
Yes!
Lovely! A picture of health and happiness.
SandwichShortOfAPicnic
Legendary Member
I do think that yes you look absolutely lovely but I have seen the pics you post of when you're unwell and I think you also look lovely then too!
Medical folk and I'm sure medtran49 can back this up can become very tuned into when someone "looks well" particularly if they know the patient over a period of time and it has lot more to it than the immediate appearance.
It's a weird thing to become accustomed to but you clock where someone is on this unspoken scale and you can see if they are going up or down in health. I suppose it comes from the constant question from everyone, are they getting better or worse? Is this treatment working? What else could we do?
Just for example it's on the up when someone holds themselves well, they are giving off more energy, their eyes are brighter, they move more easily and there's just more life about them in general.
Conversely when someones ill their posture changes, their energy levels dip, their speech often slows, facial expression change to neutral and their eyes dull.
Someone can fake being well quite easily but most of the time they don't bother in front of Doctors. Plus they can't keep it up for long.
So if the Dr thinks you're looking better I'd say thats a pretty decent WIN
