The Roundhouse At Maidstone Prison

The Roundhouse at Maidstone Prison was built between 1809 and 1811 by Daniel Alexander. Originally, the lower floors served as the Keeper's House, while the top floor housed a chapel designed so that inmates could see the prison chaplain without seeing other prisoners. This circular building has four storeys and a basement, with the ground floor featuring rusticated stonework. It has a slate roof topped with a clock and a total of eight windows. The first and second floors have modified Venetian windows, while the third floor features three-light lunettes. There is a moulded eaves cornice and an additional cornice between the third and fourth floors, along with a stone stringcourse separating the ground and first floors. The ground floor includes three-light windows set in segmental arches with keystones, and the glazing bars are intact on the ground and first floors. The main entrance is located in a rusticated stone gabled porch with a slate roof, featuring a round-headed doorcase with stone voussoirs and a keystone, and one round-headed window on each side of the porch. There are steps leading to the street, and inside, there is a circular cast iron staircase. All the listed buildings at Maidstone Prison form a group.