Strangeways Prison inmates: Manchester jail’s most notorious prisoners - from Charles Bronson to Ian Brady

The first episode of ITV documentary Britain’s Notorious Prisons goes behind the scenes at Strangeways in Manchester. The documentary explores the history of the high security prison which has housed some of Britain’s most well-known convicts.

The documentary will explore the infamous riot which took place at the prison in 1990 and also look at the institutional problems the prison has faced over the years. This is everything you need to know about Strangeways Prison:

Where is Strangeways Prison?

HM Prison Manchester, referred to by its former official name Strangeways, is a male prison in Manchester which first opened in 1868. Prior to the abolition of capital punishment in the UK, more than 100 prisoners were hanged at Strangeways.

The prison has become notorious over the years, partly due to the number of notorious criminals who have been imprisoned there over the years, and also because of the dramatic 1990 riot which took place there.

Who are Strangeways Prison’s most famous inmates?

Ian Brady

Brady was one of the infamous Moors Murderers. Along with his partner Myra Hindley, Brady kidnapped children off the streets of Manchester and took them to the moors in the Peak District he raped and killed them. The couple are known to have killed five children in the 1960s.

One victim, Keith Bennett, has never been found - Brady and Hindley refused to reveal the location of his remains, and as they have both since died it is unlikely they will ever be found. However, it wasn’t for his notorious crimes that Brady served time at Strangeways - he served three months at the prison when he was 17 for stealing lead.

Charles Bronson

Michael Peterson - who later changed his name to Charles Bronson, after the American actor, is known in the tabloid press as Britain’s most violent prisoner. Since 1974 he has spent most of his life in prison having first been arrested for armed robbery.

Over his time in prisons across the UK, he has taken fellow inmates and members of prison staff hostage, attacked a score of prison officers, taken part in rooftop protests, and allegedly took part in the Strangeways Riot. He has since changed his name again to Charles Salvador in honour of the artist Salvador Dalí.

Emily Davison

Suffragette Emily Davison fought and died for the right of women to vote. She was arrested nine times for her militant action. In 1909 she was sent to Strangeways for two months for breaking windows at a political meeting in Manchester which would only admit men.

At Strangeways she began a hunger strike, a tool used by many Suffragettes in prison, and was released on the third day of the strike. After her release she wrote to the Manchester Guardian stating that her actions, ”were meant as a warning to the general public of the personal risk they run in future if they go to cabinet minister’s meetings anywhere”.

Harold Shipman

One of Britain’s most notorious serial killers, Harold Shipman became known as Doctor Death when his crimes were exposed. Shipman worked as a GP and is believed to have killed more than 200 elderly patients in his care over 23 years by injecting them with lethal doses of diamorphine.

Shipman was caught in 1998 and held at Strangeways for four months whilst he awaited trial. He was found guilty of multiple murders and given 15 life sentences. He served his sentences at Durham Prison and later Wakefield - he killed himself in his cell in 2004.

Joey Barton

Former Manchester City midfielder and current Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton has maintained a successful professional career despite being twice sentenced for violent crimes. He served 74 days of six-month sentence at Strangeways in 2010.

Barton had been convicted for a drunken attack on a teenager in Liverpool City Centre. He later received a four month suspended sentence for assault occasioning actual bodily harm on former teammate Ousmane Dabo - this incident brought at and to his career at Manchester City.

David Dickinson

A name you wouldn’t expect to see on the same list as Brady, Bronson, and Shipman - David Dickinson also served time at Strangeways. The antiques dealer and Dickinson’s Real Deal presenter was jailed before his rise to fame.

Dickinson was arrested for mail-order fraud when he was 19 - he was handed a four year sentence and served three years at Strangeways. He later spoke about his time in one of Britain’s most notorious jails, saying that it was one of the hardest times of his life.

When was the Strangeways Prison Riot?

The 1990 Strangeways Prison Riot was a major rooftop prison protest which took place from 1-25 April that year. Over the course of the rioting, 47 prisoners were injured and one was killed, 147 prisoner officers were injured, and one died of heart failure.

The riot led to widespread damage and much of the old prison was destroyed. Repairs and rebuilding cost in excess of £50 million. It is still the longest prison riot in British history.

When is Britain’s Notorious Prisons on TV?

The first episode of Britain’s Notorious Prisons airs on ITV1 on Thursday 12 January at 9pm and will be available to watch on ITVX after it is first broadcast.