Celebrating Resilience: Newcastle’s Historic Women Prisoners Remembered in Cathedral Exhibition

Newcastle's Church of England cathedral will host an event ahead of International Women's Day in March, spotlighting the untold stories of 19th- and early 20th-century women prisoners at the nearby Carliol Square prison.

Due to popular demand, additional tickets have been released for the launch event of the exhibition ‘Women Behind Bars: Life in Newcastle Prison, 1828–1925’ on Wednesday 4 March at 6:30pm. After the launch, the exhibition will be open to the public during regular Cathedral hours until Monday 27 April.

The launch will feature fascinating insights from authors Patrick Low, Shane McCorristine, Helen Rutherford and Clare Sandford-Couch, about their research and the stories they uncovered. Attendees can then ask questions, purchase signed copies of the book, view the exhibition, and enjoy poetry, folk tunes and ballads from Harry Gallagher, Miggins Fiddle (Marina Dodgson and Maurice Condie) and Bridget Gallagher.

Author and researcher Clare Sandford-Couch says, “The exhibition highlights the experiences of young girls, women facing poverty, addiction, and suffragettes who defied societal norms. Their stories reveal the harsh realities of crime, punishment, and resilience in an era marked by inequality.”

This powerful exhibition draws on ‘Newcastle Prison: A History 1828–1925’ (Tyne Bridge Publishing, 2025) and highlights the often-overlooked narratives of those affected by the criminal justice system. It features surviving images of prisoners, including early ‘mug shots’ from the 1870s, shared courtesy of North East Museums, and detailed digital reconstructions of the prison buildings by New Visions Heritage.

The exhibition will also include the ‘Story Chair’, created for the Cathedral in 2023 through a collaboration with women who have firsthand experience in the justice system, bringing together Changing Lives, Northumbria University and the National Trust, with additional support from the North East Probation Service and The British Academy.

Dawn Harrison, Changing Lives’ Service Manager for Criminal Justice, Northumbria, will speak at the event. She says: “The Story Chair carries the voices and experiences of women who have been impacted by the justice system, many of whom are rarely heard in spaces like this. Created in collaboration with women with lived experience, it offers a powerful and authentic way for their stories to be seen, heard and valued, while encouraging reflection on how we understand and respond to women affected by the criminal justice system today.”

Refreshments will be available at the launch event from Northumberland charity The Oswin Project, which runs Café 16 in Newcastle Cathedral’s refectory, providing training and employment opportunities for people with criminal records.

Due to the event’s popularity, advance booking is recommended at newcastlecathedral.org.uk/whats-on. Tickets are available on a ‘Give as You Feel’ basis, with a suggested donation of £5. Reservations can also be made by phoning TicketSource at 033 3666 3366.

Image: Women Behind Bars Prisoner Montage, Courtesy of Newcastle Cathedral