Hm Young Offender Institution, East Cell Block

HM Young Offender Institution's East Cell Block is a prison cell block built in 1898, featuring the Grenville and Nelson wings. It is constructed from fine coursed Portland ashlar with some rock-faced masonry and has slate roofs. The building is a long, narrow structure with five storeys and 29 bays, oriented north to south. The western bays are arranged in groups of 14:1:14, while the eastern side has a configuration of 6:1:15:1:6, with the single bays serving as projecting service towers rather than staircases.

The windows are small, square-headed iron casements with multiple panes, featuring external horizontal bars set in chamfered flush surrounds and heavy weathered sills. The service towers are set into the returns, with plain outer walls that rise to steep coped gables. Most ground-floor windows have been modified, with openings extended to align with the underside of the first-floor sills. The gable ends are coped and supported by heavy three-course kneelers, featuring four sets of three close-set vertical casements in flush chamfer surrounds, while the ground floor has three widely spaced square lights, some of which are blind. Entrances are located at both ends of the block and at the base of the service towers.

The building has six tall, large square chimney stacks with rock-faced quoins, a plain necking band, and dentilled cappings. The eaves are adorned with two continuous chamfered courses above bold dentils. The interior, which was partially inspected, retains most of its original structure and fittings. This includes stone flush-soffit dog-leg stairs in the adjoining service towers, simple rail balustrades, original cell doors, access balconies on cast-iron brackets, and iron rod trusses supporting the roof with long runs of lay-lights on each slope, all set against painted brick walls and partitions.

Although built in the late 19th century, this building is characterized by a bold design and splendid masonry that shows little sign of discolouration or deterioration. It replaced the timber-clad structures of the original prison group from 1848, and together with the Raleigh/Drake/Benbow block to the west, it is a prominent feature in views from many parts of the Island.