26 January 2021

Scenic jail

 I have been on a mission to explore the environment for months! But until very recently, I must admit I had not been in the next road down. The main road has several short stubby roads leading down to the river; I live in one, and there are several more. The next one down is called Glanafon, or riverbank. And why not! It ends right at the river. But from my interest in local history, I knew it had originally been called "Lockup Street". It held the Bethesda police cells! But I suppose they haven't been in use since forever, and maybe the inhabitants didn't quite like the association, and that hence the name had changed.

I decided to actually go and have a look to see if you could tell where the cells had been. Well, you can! You can't miss it, really. It clearly now is a residential building. And it has been extended to within an inch of its life. For a reason, I suppose; the cell building was notoriously small. Or maybe famously small, as I suppose it is a good thing if local authorities think they don't have to throw many people into a cell at any given time at all. And I suspect the actual cells didn't have any view over the river, but the people who live there now, and who have a river-facing façade that must be much newer than the cellblock, certainly do!


It's still clearly recognisable! And also clearly seriously extended

You'll recognise it here again from the Magnolia side and the balcony from the step-shaped wall



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