Neoclassicism and the Enlightenment: The Newgate Prison of George Dance

Newgate Prison, George Dance, (London, UK); 1782-1904; Neoclassicism and the Enlightenment

If in 1982 an observer had taken for a stroll in the London’s streets, and had reached the corner where Newgate Street and Old Bailey meet, one would have instantaneously noticed the austere building that stood and loomed in the desert plaza. Just by looking at its exterior walls any observer would have realized the nature of the building. Though its façade was impressive like a bank, no person would have mistaken the sight of hung chains for a welcome sign.

The original prison at Newgate was built in 1188 but was rebuilt in 1770 by George Dance, though the completion date had to be delayed by two years due to being badly damaged during the Gordon Riots in 1780. 

The Architect

 George Dance, the Younger, (1741-1825), was a British architect who was responsible for extensive urban redevelopment in London and was a founding member of Great Britain’s Royal Academy of Arts. George Dance received his formal training in the office of his father and spent several years in Italy where he partook in his Grand Tour. In his earliest works Dance created graceful versions of the Neoclassical style, however he was also known for his unconventional neoclassical interiors. One of his best-known structures was Newgate Prison.

Program

Completed in 1782, Dance’s Newgate Prison rotated around a central courtyard and was divided into two differently sized quadrants. One was a common area for poor prisoners and the other was a state area for those who could afford more comfortable accommodation. These two sections were further divided based on the nature of the crime committed, between debtors and felons. The prison also held women: they entirely occupied the south wing of the building.

Style

George Dance’s Newgate Prison is also one of the few English prisons that was constructed following the architecture terrible design advocated by French architect Jacques-François Blondel. The French architect intended to discourage law-breaking and reform the prisoners by manipulating the exterior design of prisons. Reinforced walls almost without windows, and eerie symbols such as carved chains over entrances served as a deterrent for both the prisoners and the community outside of its walls.

Sources

Britton, John; Pugin, A. (1828). Illustrations of the Public Buildings of London: With Historical and Descriptive Accounts of each Edifice. 2. London. pp. 102 et seq.

Stroud, Dorothy; (1971). George Dance Architect 1741–1825 Architect, Faber & Faber, page 223