I have just added this to the map of places to fly your drone at Drone Scene:
HMP Shepton Mallet is a former prison in Shepton Mallet, Somerset. When it closed in 2013, it had been the United Kingdom's oldest operating prison, following the closure of HMP Lancaster Castle in 2011.
Recommended as a good place to fly if you ever wanted to drone over a prison location without breaching an FRZ as the architecture and layout remains authentic
Before closure, Shepton Mallet was a category C lifer prison holding 189 prisoners. The prison building is Grade II* listed, while the former gatehouse and perimeter walls are Grade II.
The prison was opened in 1625 and expanded in 1790. This included the installation of a treadwheel for those sentenced to hard labour. In 1843 the number of cells was increased by adding a second storey to each wing. In 1930 the number of inmates had fallen and the prison was closed.
Following the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the prison was reopened as a military prison. It was initially used by the British Army and later by American forces who constructed a new execution block to hang condemned prisoners. Following the war the prison continued as a military "glasshouse" until it was returned to civilian use in 1966.
The prison was decommissioned in 2013 and now serves as a tourist attraction, with guided tours and other activities.
The originator declared that this location was not inside a Flight Restriction Zone at the time of being flown on 14/02/2026. It remains the responsibility of any pilot to check for any changes before flying at the same location. Landowner permission may be required before taking off.