Locked in at the Old Lock-Up!

On Thursday 16th July, three Gnosall Parish Councillors, Cllrs Bob Middleton, Mike Sullivan and Keith Parry, were locked up in Gnosall’s 18th century lock-up to raise money for local community causes.

In September 2025, Cllr Bob Middleton visited the Old Lock-Up that was open to the public for the first time in may years as part of the National Heritage Open Day Festival. He was so enamoured with the history and charm of this 18th century lock-up, that he floated the idea of a sponsored Councillor lock-in to the Chief Officer of the Parish there and then. Both thought this a novel and quirky event that would not only showcase some of the history of the village and parish, but raise funds for the community and would be a great addition to the biennial GFest (Gnosall Festival) which was planned for the following year. And so the seed was sown.

Members of the public waiting for the inmates to arrive

When planning for GFest began in earnest earlier this year, the Chief Officer asked Cllr Middleton if he was still serious about being locked up and the wheels were set in motion to make the lock-in happen. But first, Cllr Middleton had to find some fellow Councillors willing to locked in with him over night.

Cllr Middleton initially approached his fellow councillor and member of Gnosall Globe Trotters, Mike Sullivan who reluctantly agreed, stating “Raising money for worthy causes should involve doing something that is challenging, that’s the whole point. And being locked in a cold, dark, stone room with Bob is as challenging as it gets!”

Somewhere along the line, Cllr Keith Parry was roped into the event, with stories circulating that he was volunteered by his wife. Either way, we now had three Councillors who had agreed to take part in the sponsored lock-in. The date and times were agreed – Thursday 16th of July from 8pm to 7am and the event was listed as part of GFest 2026.

A risk assessment and site inspection was carried out in June and discussions began regarding what could be taken into the lock-up on the night. All three Councillors agreed, that their lock-in should be as authentic as possible and suggested that at best straw bales be provided for bedding, and all very quickly agreed that they needed to dress the part and try to find outfits that reflected the time period when the lock-up was in most use.

As the event drew closer, the Chief Officer arranged with the Parish Police Community Support Officer for the ‘inmates’ to be collected from a designated point and delivered in a marked police vehicle to the lock-up, adding to the spectacle of the event.

On Thursday evening, at around 7.30pm, Stafford Police and PCSO’s apprehended the three culprits just off the A518 and delivered under restraint to the lock-up on Sellman Street ahead of the official lock-in time of 8pm. Over 60 spectators were waiting to see the Councillors incarcerated overnight, many taking peeks into the lock-up to see what was in store for the GPC three.

The ‘inmates’ delivered to the Lock-up in handcuffs

The three were escorted through the gathered crowd, to the lock-up, where the Police officers removed their restraints and they were allowed to say their final words to their families and gathered crowd before being shown into their cell for the night. Their cell comprised the bare minimum with straw bales for bedding, a few worn blankets, LED candles and a few essentials. They were permitted an old android phone for emergency use only, but no other mod cons were permitted.

The final photo before incarceration

The door was locked and the lock-in began in earnest.

With no phones, electricity or digital technology, the Councillors resorted to old school entertainment with card games, dice, reading up on the history of the lock-up and parish and a lot of conversation.

The inmates could be heard singing ‘I want to break free’ as the St. Lawrence church bells struck 7am on Friday the 18th of July and the door was opened by the Chief Officer, to a small crowd who had gathered in support. The three emerged looking far brighter than expected after 11 hours locked in a small, cold, dark room with only LED light, spiders and wood lice for company, and were treated to a slap-up ‘Break Out’ Breakfast at the Grosvenor Centre with friends and family.

Lock-up History

The Old Lock-Up was built almost two hundred years ago by local builder and architect, James Trubshaw, using local stone from ‘Hollies Quarry’ and was originally sited opposite the Gnosall Police station on the corner of Stafford Road and Station Road (A518). In 1964 the County Council wished to widen Stafford Road and planned to relocate the lock-up to the County Museum at Shugborough, however the Gnosall Women’s Institute (Gnosall Jam Busters) objected and set about re-siting the building in the village. They were finally a small parcel of land  in 1969 for the express purpose of housing the lock-up. The lock-up was partially demolished by a lorry failing to make the turn, before it could be relocated, but was rebuilt to its original stature on its new site.

The WI were instrumental in keeping the Lock-Up in the community and supported the event as did the Gnosall Heritage Group, who have researched the history and previous occupants of the lock-up and provided some quite detailed accounts of the more serious criminals interred there in the past.

The Old Lock-Up in its original location

Sponsorship

Sponsorship was available both digitally and via hard copy forms, and the community did not disappoint, pledging or donating upwards of £1200 at time of writing, with funds still coming in.

If you would like to add your support to this event, donations can be made to:

Gnosall Parish Council GFest

Account no: 65707694

Sort Code: 089299

Ref: Lock-up