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Crumlin Road Gaol Visitor Attraction and Conference Centre

Museum | Belfast | Northern Ireland | United Kingdom

Historic prison in Belfast

The Crumlin Road Gaol Visitor Attraction and Conference Centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a historic 19th-century prison that was in operation from 1846 to 1996. After extensive renovations, it was opened to the public in 2012 and now serves as a visitor attraction and venue for conferences and events.

Visitor attraction in Northern Ireland

During a guided tour, visitors can explore the various areas of the prison, including the underground tunnel connecting the prison to the adjacent courthouse, the cell wings, the condemned man's cell, and the execution cell where 17 men lost their lives. Interactive elements such as videos, audio recordings, and holograms enrich the experience and provide a vivid impression of prison life.

Conference center in Belfast

The prison building itself is an impressive example of Victorian architecture designed by architect Charles Lanyon. It consists of four wings extending from a central area known as the "Circle". This structure was advanced for its time and reflected the principles of the "Separate System", which aimed to isolate prisoners from each other.

Guided tour of prison

In addition to regular tours, the center also hosts special events including concerts, weddings, and other social gatherings. The on-site restaurant and bar, known as Cuffs Bar & Grill, serves local cuisine and provides a pleasant place to relax after the tour.

Contact details

Web

Phone

Address
53-55 Crumlin Rd
BT14 6ST Belfast

Map view

Opening hours

Sunday10:00 - 16:00
Monday10:00 - 16:00
Tuesday10:00 - 16:00
Wednesday10:00 - 16:00
Thursday10:00 - 16:00
Friday10:00 - 16:00
Saturday10:00 - 16:00

Reviews

5990 Reviews

Samantha Burchell
02.02.2025

Very insightful place to visit, full of history and information throughout. All staff were very helpful and lovely to!
Mark Northall
02.02.2025

Lost in history for nearly 3 hours plus a great lunch in Cuffs - couldn’t recommend this enough- in Belfast - you HAVE to visit
conor corcoran
02.02.2025

Don't waste your money ! Informational signage and overall tour very poor
David Price
27.01.2025

Such a great place to visit and I learnt so much. Thanks so much to our fabulous tour guide. (Harry I think)
Zara
23.01.2025

Excellent food. Friendly staff. Plenty of parking. No queues.
Christina & Abe
19.01.2025

A very unique experience & worth the visit. Self-tour was the only option when we got there Sunday afternoon, but informative & plenty regardless. It wasn’t very crowded, but just enough people to feel a bit rushed to allow others to step into small areas & read/look. “Troubles” animated video was great, simple info for those that needed a quick understanding. Appreciated the child, male, female perspective on being imprisoned. My main concern on this tour was I was a bit distracted by the amount of trash littered in some exhibits& sprinkled here & there on the tour.
Юрій Свєтличний
19.01.2025

Місце дуже гнетуче але цікаве. Вартість входу завелика на мій погляд
William Horner
19.01.2025

Went for lunch with an old work mate and had a lovely lunch and I would recommend it as the staff were friendly and service was great with lovely food in the restaurant.
Charline Paletta
15.01.2025

Expérience saisissante, qui nous permet de découvrir une fois de plus l’horreur de la guerre en Irlande du nord
Feyipitan Oyelola
14.01.2025

It had many video tour guide and stories of past events that could get you emotional. It was quite educational and historical. It is definitely a good place to visit on your tour of Northern Ireland 🇮🇪
Michael Finley
14.01.2025

Fantastic, informative visit highly recommended. However there was ALOT of litter throughout the venue. Helicopter sound confused me for a good 30 seconds 🤣
Frederic Marletaz
12.01.2025

Visite super intéressante Seul bémol avec l audio guide en français la dame est malheureusement pas intéressante a écouté c est vraiment dommage
graham kenny
04.01.2025

Great day and plenty of historical facts recommended if in the area
Paddy McCarney
03.01.2025

This is a great visitor centre, book
Martyn Oakley
03.01.2025

Great insight into the distant and recent history of Belfast. Some great exhibits. Video presentations made it easy to get to take it all the history in. Some very moving stories.
Google User
29.12.2024

Great insight into our troubled past, good range of exhibits to see. The visit should take around 2 hours to fully see.
Ryan Campbell
29.12.2024

Went for Christmas dinner, the place looked spectacular, food arrived late, tasted good but not a lot of it, make shift bar was reasonably priced, but lacked in variety
David Brown
29.12.2024

Best attraction in Belfast. Excellent tour that covers the prison and history from victorian times to the troubles. Great multimedia and real places make a very engaging visit covering perspectives from all sides. Highly recommended!
Ady Secerkadic
28.12.2024

Top museum!!!
Paul Fulton
28.12.2024

Well worth a visit, very interesting, lots of information. The guided tour I imagine would be much better as eventually some displays become quite similar.
Artur Góra
17.12.2024

Super miejsce. Trochę mroczne i daje poczuć klimat. Gorąco polecam. Obowiązkowy punkt do zobaczenia w Belfaście 😁
Tracey Murray
16.12.2024

Very eerie place, lots of history info and 'surprises'!
Gwenda Kenneally
15.12.2024

Definitely worth a visit.

 

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