The jail which originates from 1823, was built on the site of the town’s 15th century castle. It was designed by one of Scotland’s most esteemed architects of the period, Archibald Elliot. The jail is one of the best preserved prisons in Scotland from the Howard Reform era. In its time, Jedburgh jail was also seen as a model for how other prisons should be built.

The jail provides an interactive experience of what life was like in a 19th century prison and the history of crime and punishment during this period. The individual cells have been preserved to look just like they would have when they contained prisoners, so you can see the authentic conditions in which the  jail’s inhabitants would have lived. There is also information about who these inhabitants were and how they ended up in the jail. The jail is even said to be home to the ghost of Edwin McArthur, a prisoner who was executed in Jedburgh in 1885.

Besides this, in the Governor’s House, there is a museum about the local history of Jedburgh, told through historic artefacts and artwork, with a temporary exhibition space. The collection includes prehistoric remains found at nearby Dunion Hill and objects from Jedburgh Friary.