Feature: Grim prison where people are queuing to spend the night

It was built in the 1800s as an escape-proof jailhouse, designed to instill fear into the hearts of prisoners as they were shackled inside the tiny 2-meter-wide cells.

The stark cell doors, window bars and spikes were there to prevent escapees fleeing, but it is not deterring 21st century inmates eager to occupy cells at Liverpool's Main Bridewell.

It has become Britain's newest bespoke hotel, with tourists from around the world eager to spend the night in a prison.

Gone from the walls are the iron chains used in the past to shackle prisoners in their cells, and the solid wooden benches used as beds have also disappeared.

Instead luxury beds, multi-channel televisions with built-in internet access are installed, and there are en-suite showers and toilets.

And while the 60 cells may now provide home comforts, strict rules mean most of the infrastructure has to remain.

The four-storey Bridewell is a grade two listed building, given official government protection to protect and preserve its heritage.

The meter-thick walls stay, along with the long prison bare-brick corridors with solid oak doors leading to each cell.

The building has not been used since the 1990s while officials decided if it had any future at all.

The developers Staycentral have invested millions of dollars on transforming the prison, eagerly watched by heritage officials to ensure historic features were preserved.

Within weeks it will officially be opened, but in the meanwhile guests have been staying to test-drive the new hotel.

Xinhua was among the first to be taken on a guided tour of what has been described as one of Britain's toughest lock-ups.

Lee Darwen, the hotel's operations director, said among the first to want rooms at the Bridewell are people who had spent time there as "guests of her majesty" -- the term given to people incarcerated in prisons.

"Some have been eager to book the actual cells were they detained as prisoners," said Darwen.

Bunch of keys in hand Darwen opens the main door leading to the entrance where thousands of prisoners would shake with fear as they entered the fortress like building. It was specifically designed to create fear in inmates as a deterrent to crime.

"It had a reputation as a brutal place, and even though the cells were just two meters square there are reports of up to 15 prisoners sharing a cell," Darwen told Xinhua.

Officially it dates back to the 1850s, but Darwen said some records show French prisoners of war captured during the Napoleonic Wars of 200 years ago were incarcerated in the jail.

Occupants included petty criminals, highwaymen and murderers. For many it would lead to an appointment at the gallows with the hangman.

Darwen added: "This prison was completely secure. Once you were in there was no escape. We believe its curiosity value will make it a popular place to stay; it is a unique and historic building not just in Liverpool but in Britain. We have managed to retain the old and blend it with the new, but as any visitor can see, it has not lost its look as a jailhouse." Endit