I pre-booked the tickets online and got them for £7.50 (adult) and £5.50 (child) which worked out at a discount of £1 per ticket, mind you I was charged a £1 booking fee so the discount was more like 50p each.
When we arrived we headed to the car park which was very large and had plenty of disabled parking available (we went on an early tour so as the only car there we had plenty of choice). We arrived early and had a little time before our 10am tour so we took advantage of the stocks at the front of the building and ended up with some rather interesting photos (stocks shown below - I have spared you from our photos!!!)
At 9.55 our Tour guide arrived brought us into a room, where he introduced himself (Gavin), explained how the Tour would work and gave us some background on the Gaol. As the Tour kicked off we started in the reception area where the prisoners were registered, Gavin was very friendly and showed plenty of Belfast banter which the tourists of our group (Americans, Germans, French and Irish) seemed to enjoy; my 6 year old nephew on the other hand got embarrassed when he was jokingly told off for laughing in Gaol and the resulting tears took a while to settle, after apologies from Gavin and reassurances from me that he was fine, the tour moved on to the main building which contains the Governors Office and C-Wing which includes a variety of cells laid out as they would have been from Victorian times right through the 70s/80s, a padded cell, and the Condemned Man's Cell.
The Tour consists of many interesting anecdotes and does include stories of the executions carried out in the Gaol and the hangman's noose is in situ. Gavin did let us know ahead of time that executions would be discussed and gave us the option of skipping this part of the Tour, my 6 year old nephew did visit the Condemned Mans Cell and the 'Execution Chamber' but opted out of the Drop Cell below, we waited in C-Wing while Gavin took the rest of the Group downstairs.
The Tour continued outside to the Grave site and again there were many interesting stories of the prisoners and their escape attempts throughout the years. The Tour finishes back at the Gift Shop where you can access the Tunnel (which previously linked the Gaol to Crumlin Road Courthouse, which is unfortunately now derelict). We were able to explore the Tunnel by ourselves and we walked as far as we could before turning back and spending our hard earned money on some souvenirs!!
(Selection of photos included below)
I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Crumlin Road Gaol but would exercise caution if intending to bring young or sensitive children along!!
Admission Prices if paid on site: £8.50 (Adult) £6.50 (Child) £7 (Concession 60+, student) £25 (Family 2 Adults and 2 Children)
Online Prices: £7.50, £5.50, £6.00 & £22.
Tour Duration - Approx 1 hr 15 minutes
Disabled Access - Plenty of disabled parking available & wheelchairs available for hire with a £10 deposit. The majority of the Tour is wheelchair accessible with the exception of the Tunnel and Drop Cell, Crumlin Road Gaol do say that the Guides will ensure disabled visitors get the most out of their visit.
Coffee Shop available on site
Gift Shop on site
Overall its a thumbs up from me and I would recommend a visit if you can!!!!!
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