ABSTRACT
John Howard visited Maidstone Prison twice. By the time of his first visit in 1779, there had been a county gaol in the town for over two centuries but although the building he visited was only thirty-three years old he was very critical of the facilities it provided. The original prison, inconveniently situated in the High Street, was small, overcrowded, without an exercise yard and incapable of expansion. Yet the ‘new’ prison which Howard visited was equally poor. The small, mean courtyards meant a lack of light or air and despite the use of a sail ventilator to remedy the poor air circulation, Howard foresaw further problems.
