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christopher impey • the house on the hill • brixton: london's oldest prison • 2019: 200th anniversary

Christopher Impey — The House on the Hill
Christopher Impey - The House on the Hill - Tangerine Press
  • Three editions: trade paperback; 100 numbered & 26 lettered copies

BIG ISSUE FEATURE CLICK HERE

Brixton is one of the country’s oldest and most notorious prisons, set to mark its 200th anniversary this year. The House on the Hill tells the story of this remarkable, experimental institution by recalling the colourful lives of some of its residents – among them rock star Mick Jagger, politician Oswald Moseley, notorious serial killer John Christie and philosopher Bertrand Russell – illustrated with fascinating, never-before-seen photographs.

A far-reaching history encompassing the most interesting aspects of the prison, The House on the Hill reveals details on:

• How it became the first women’s prison in the UK in 1854, with the first ever female governor, Emma Martin, and a nearly all-female staff.

• ‘Fraggle Rock’, the notorious mental health wing, was so poorly managed that it was linked to the suicides of 14 prisoners and three staff members over an eighteen month period – still a national record. The head of the prison service at the time described it as a ‘hell-hole.’

• Why and how the prison is still at the forefront of change, as London’s first ‘resettlement’ jail. The Clink, a restaurant residing in the old governor’s house, is rated as one of the best in the capital.

It also features vignettes of remarkable London characters like the Oyster Eater, a vagrant whose insatiable appetite made him the scourge of the city’s costermongers and The Forty Thieves, a gang of children who terrorised south London, and also more notable staff members, like the brutish first governor John Green who was publicly sacked for violence and drunkenness.

AVAILABLE IN THREE EDITIONS:

Paperback £14

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Numbered/signed £50

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Price with shipping

Lettered/signed £150

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LAST FEW COPIES

More detailed information here:

Trade paperback

£14 plus shipping

224 pages. Format approx. 7"/170mm wide x 10"/240mm tall. Acid-free card covers, text paper and endpapers. Printed & bound in England. ISBN: 978-1-910691-42-7

100 Numbered/signed copies

£50 plus shipping

224 pages. Format approx. 7”/175mm wide, 10”/250mm tall. Handbound at the Tangerine workshop with cloth-covered acid-free boards, conservation glue and hemp cord; foil embossed front cover artwork; full colour title page. ISBN: 978-1-910691-43-4

Includes fascinating, never-before-seen photographs and illustrations.

Quarterbound with Fabriano Tiziano 'oatmeal' paper covered boards and cloth spine; acid-free text paper; Fabriano Tiziano 'cold grey' endpapers; front cover artwork embossed in black.

PRISON WINDOW PHOTO BY SAMI DINELLI
Includes a bound in high quality reproduction of serving officer Sami Dinelli's photo printed on Mohawk Superfine paper.

All copies SIGNED by Christopher Impey.

Signed by the author.

26 Lettered/signed copies

£150 plus shipping

224 pages. Format approx. 7”/175mm wide, 10”/250mm tall. Handbound at the Tangerine workshop with cloth-covered acid-free boards, conservation glue and hemp cord; foil embossed front cover artwork; full colour title page. ISBN: 978-1-910691-43-4

Includes fascinating, never-before-seen photographs and illustrations.

Quarterbound with Fabriano Tiziano 'blue grey' paper covered boards and Japanese silk spine; acid-free text paper; Fabriano Tiziano 'royal blue' endpapers; front cover artwork embossed in black.

PRISON WINDOW PHOTO BY SAMI DINELLI
Includes a bound in high quality reproduction of serving officer Sami Dinelli's photo printed on Mohawk Superfine paper.

All lettered copies are signed by Christopher Impey and Raphael Rowe.

"Engaging and compassionate."
Open Democracy

"Well informed history."
Times Literary Supplement

"Fantastic."
Brixton Blog

Also extracts featured in Big Issue, Brixton Review of Books, Minor Literatures.

EARLY PRAISE FOR…

“A fascinating history of London’s oldest prison. From Britain’s first female prison governor to a gluttonous oyster thief, from rebel Poplar councillors to the desperate inhabitants of ‘Fraggle Rock’, this is an essential read for everyone interested in the history of prison and penal reform.”
— Caitlin Davies
author of Bad Girls: A History of Rebels and Renegades

“Finally, a book that really shines the spotlight of truth into the darkest recesses of a British prison. The House on The Hill is an impressive must-read and Chris Impey captures the atmosphere, history and legends of Brixton Prison like a master of his trade. Too good to miss.”
— Noel ‘Razor’ Smith
author of A Rusty Gun: Facing Up to a Life of Crime

Christopher Impey is an award-winning journalist and radio producer. He spent nine years working in HMP Brixton where he was Managing Editor of National Prison Radio – the world’s first national radio station for prisoners. Before that he was employed at the BBC as a reporter and producer. He has made a number of documentaries for Radio 4, including London’s Oldest Prison, based on his research into HMP Brixton. He left the prison in 2018 and now works at The Economist.

Raphael Rowe is an investigative journalist and the presenter of Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons – a Netflix Original series. He served 12 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, spending part of his sentence in HMP Brixton. His conviction was quashed at the Court of Appeal in 2000. Following his release, he worked as a reporter for the BBC on Panorama, the Today programme and The One Show. His investigative work helped to overturn the conviction of Barry George who had been found guilty of the murder of Jill Dando, the television presenter. He is currently working on a BBC documentary about miscarriages of justice.

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