The outer defences, Peterhead Convict Prison

Welcome to Her Majesty's Prison Peterhead, overlooking the North Sea some 18 miles north of Newburgh-on Ythan. When it was built, back in 1888, the facility was designed to hold 208 prisoners and soon gained a reputation as one of Scotland's toughest prisons. At that time the convicts were put to work, under armed guard, in the nearby granite quarry at Stirling Hill and in the Admiralty Yard which was attached to the prison. Together with a civilian work force, employed by the Admiralty, the convicts were to build a pair of massive granite breakwaters across Peterhead Bay, designed to protect the Harbour of Refuge.

Latterly the prison could accommodate up to 152 male prisoners and since 1994 it dealt mainly with convicted, long term sex offenders, offering a range of programmes designed to challenge offending behaviour in order to reduce the risk of reoffending on return to the community.

The conditions in the prison were criticised by the Prisons Inspectorate on a number of occasions. All the cells were single occupancy but the accommodation was very old and the majority of prisoners did not have access to 24 hour sanitation nor to running water in their cells. Prisoners had chemical toilets which were emptied by prisoner work parties twice a week.


The prison was closed in 2014 and replaced by the new HMP Grampian on an adjacent site. The old prison is now a museum.