Old Gaol Northeast England

Completed in 1333 as England's first purpose-built prison, today this stone structure's four floors tell the history of the gaol in all its gruesome glory. The history of the Border Reivers – a group of clans who fought, kidnapped, blackmailed and killed each other in an effort to exercise control over a lawless tract of land along the Anglo-Scottish border throughout the 16th century – is also retold, along with tales of the punishments handed out in the prison. Hours can vary.