Lock up 60m south-east of the Church of St Mary

Summary

The monument includes a village lock up erected before 1841; altered in the late C20 and restored in 2004.

Reasons for Designation

The lock up at Brompton Regis which was built before 1841 is scheduled for the following principal reasons:

Survival:

* despite some repairs and a replacement roof, it survives well, retaining the original plan and form of a single-cell lock up.

Period:

* lock ups were once common and this structure is a visual reminder of early methods of maintaining law and order and, as such is an important relic.

Group value:

* it is an interesting focal point in the village and is situated close to the Grade II* listed Church of St Mary.

History

Lock-ups or blind houses, so called for their dim interiors, are small buildings used as temporary holding places for offenders being brought before the local magistrate, and also for the incarceration of drunkards, vagrants and people disturbing the peace. They were often built by the parish or a wealthy local resident, and were usually stone built, typically containing one or two cells, the latter for holding men and women. The earliest recorded examples date from the C13, and most fell out of use in the mid-C19 after the establishment of a regular police service.

The lock up at Brompton Regis is depicted on the Tithe map of 1836 but a date for its construction has not so far been established. An animal pound was subsequently built against the north wall of the lock up. It is shown on the first and second edition Ordnance Survey maps of 1889 and 1904 but was demolished probably in about 1908 when the churchyard was extended and a new path to Hightown was laid out. After the lock up fell out of use it appears that it may have been used as a coke store for the church. Around 1980 the roof, which was previously domed, was taken down as it was unsafe; however, it was replaced by a flat roof of stone slabs when the lock up was restored by the parish council in 2004. In addition, the original north entrance was reinstated, and a probable late-C20 doorway in the east wall was infilled.

Details

PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS: the monument includes a village lock up that was erected before 1841, with alterations and repairs carried out in the late C20 and early C21 respectively. It is centrally located, close to the parish church and alongside the main street through Brompton Regis.

DETAILS: it is a small rectangular structure of coursed stone rubble with a slightly sloping flat roof of irregular stone slabs. It measures 3.5m east-west and 3.10m north-south. The recessed entrance in the north wall has a timber lintel and a later plank door that has thick iron straps with decorative ends, probably original, and a metal grille. There are no windows, and an infilled opening in the east elevation marks the former position of a late-C20 inserted doorway. The interior has a single cell and a floor of stone slabs; reused railway sleepers now support the roof. Abutting the west side of the lock up is a short length of stone wall that is slightly higher than the lock up's roof. It appears to be a fragmentary survival of the former animal pound that is depicted on the historic maps and is included in the scheduling. There is a later, low wall that has been built against the opposite (east) side of the lock up and this is not part of the monument.

EXCLUSIONS: none.

EXTENT OF SCHEDULING: the area of protection includes the lock up and has been drawn to follow the footprint of the building.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

35705

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Websites
MSO8882 – Post-medieval pound and lock up, Brompton Regis, The Historic Environment Record for Exmoor National Park, accessed 18 May 2022 from https://www.exmoorher.co.uk/Monument/MSO8882
Everything About Brompton Regis, accessed 18 May 2022 from https://bromptonregis.com/2018/04/06/village-history/

Other
A Map of the Parish of Kingsbrompton in the County of Somerset, 1841

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All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

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