Buckingham Old Gaol Museum

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Buckingham Old Gaol is a historic building in Buckingham, the former county town of Buckinghamshire, England.The building is now a museum, shop and tourist information centre and is located on Market Hill in the town centre. It is a member of the Milton Keynes Heritage Association and the Association of Independent Museums.HistoryFollowing an Act of Parliament on 30 June 1747 (known as Lord Cobham's Act), the original prison building was erected in 1748. The bulk of funding was from Richard Temple, fourth baronet of Stowe (1675–1749), who had been previously MP for Buckingham. It was built in the Gothic style. One of the prisoners jailed here was the prize fighter Simon Byrne. He was tried at the Buckingham Assizes in 1830 for the manslaughter of another prize fighter, Alexander M'Kay.The rounded front of the building was added in 1839, designed by George Gilbert Scott, a local architect. This provided accommodation for the gaoler and became known as the Keeper's Lodge. For around 60 years, the Old Gaol acted as the police station for Buckingham, until a new police station was built a short distance away on Moreton Road. In 1891 it became a fire station, and the C Company of the 1st Bucks Rifles rented part of the building for their armoury from 1892 until 1926. In 1907, public toilets were installed.