Newcastle became responsible for the custody of its own prisoners in 1399 when it was made a county.
Newgate, the oldest and strongest of the city gates, was used as the common gaol until its demolition in the early 1820s.
A new gaol and house of correction was designed by John Dobson in 1823 and was built on a two-acre site at Carliol Square.
At a cost of £35, 000, the new building comprised a series of radiating wings surrounded by a 25-foot wall and central tower, giving wardens a view on to the enclosed courtyard below. The gaol housed both men and women and there were sick rooms, work rooms, a chapel and even a treadmill.
By 1856 it had twice as many prisoners as it was designed for. The Home Office took control of jails in 1878 and, in 1925, demolished the gaol.
Telephone House was built in its place in 1932, and no trace remains of Newcastle Gaol.
