The Old Hereford County Gaol. "Commercial Road"

The " Old County Gaol " in Commercial Road Hereford.

Hereford County Gaol was designed by John Nash who went on to design Regent Street and Marble Arch and to redesign Buckingham Palace. The old bus station office was the end of one of the three wings of Nash's original design. The arched upper windows were the original cell windows. Later, the gaol was redesigned and the end of the wing cut off, to form a house for the governor. The windows were then enlarged to create the building which stands now. The roof above the entrance here was originally flat and was used for public executions. This gaol was opened in 1796 and replaced the earlier County Gaol which was on the site of the Shire Hall.The City Gaol was built later and became first the police station, then the magistrates’ courts. It was also of three wings originally. This is now the Elim Pentecostal Church.

One strange story of this old landmark was published on our sister Facebook involving one of it's so called ghost's.
Jacqueline Thomas, writes she was one of the residents in the flats on the upper storey of Governors House. I discovered that we had a resident spirit shortly after i moved in i was woken regularly in the night and often felt someone tugging my mattress at first i was... a bit frightened. Eventually i got a Spiritualist Medium in to tackle the problem she told me that there was an active spirit in the house she told me his name was Finley and that he was of Jamaican origin he had rickets and a speech impediment the medium communicated with him and he agreed to behave himself which he does and only wakes me in the night when i am having a bad dream. Apparently he was a "runner" and worked at the jail.
Picture; unknown photographer.
Many Thanks; to PJ. Pikes and Jacqueline Thomas for there help with this story.