Belle Vue Prison was situated two and a half miles from St. Ann's Square in the centre of Manchester.
The site on Hyde Road, West Gorton was chosen by the City Council in 1844 and consisted of 88,995 square yards. It was a part of the West Gorton Estate, and was purchased from Mr. David Harrison at a cost of £240,00 per acre. On the Twenty Eighth of January 1846, the City Council approved the plans, the clay that was dug out for the foundations was used to make bricks, soon there was 7,000,000 on the ground.
In March 1847, the sewers were started, and the first bricks for the foundations were laid in June of the same year. A field between the Jail and the Manchester to Birmingham Railway was purchased, in order to get a branch line into the Jail from Longsight Station, requiring 352 lineal yards of rail. The area of land purchased was 7,200 square yards and cost one and a half pence per yard. A bridge that spanned this line stood at the top of Stowell Street and Hunters Lane and was known locally as 'The Monkey Bridge', this was demolished when Redgate Lane was built.
The Jail was completed in 1848, an inscription Tablet in the Jail read 'Armitage - Mayor - 1848'.
Captain Lane was appointed Governor at £350 per year.
The Rev. J. P. O'Leary appointed Chaplain at £250 per year.
Mr. Walker Golland appointed Surgeon at £125 per year.
Miss Betty Bailey appointed Matron at £50 per year.
The first prisoners were admitted in 1849. The walls of the prison were strongly buttressed. The entrance on Hyde Road consisted of a double doored Janitors Office and a Courtyard, after crossing this you came to a ponderous iron lined Portcullis which was raised and lowered by a windlass on a side wall, this was worked by a key handle kept by the Duty Warden. Once through the Portcullis there was a lawn to cross before coming to the main entrance. Inside there were Reception Rooms, Waiting Rooms, the Governor's Office, Magistrates Rooms, the Hospital and the Chapel.
The Jail was in four sections, A, B, C and D - A being the Women's Section, B, C and D being the Men's Sections. Section D ran off towards Belle Vue Gardens and the inmates could hear the Fireworks, music from the bands and the howls of their fellow captives in John Jennison's Menagerie.
Each section was built as a narrow arched passage way, 360 feet long and 50 feet high. There were three tiers of cells, each tier reached by a spiral staircase at each end.
Hyde Road Prison was not a capital sentence Prison, it was principally a short term Jail. It did not become a Government establishment until 1877, having until that time being in the ownership of Manchester Corporation.
In the year 1850, there were 23 untried, and 306 convicted males and 9 untried and 110 convicted females in the Jail, this was the count on October 10th that year.
In 1888/9, the Prison was declared unsafe, due to the foundations being damaged by the undermining operations of certain Colleries. After being condemned by the Surveyors, it was offered back to Manchester Corporation for £90,000, the offer was declined, so it was handed over to the Auctioneers. The sale of the Prison finally realised between Four and Five Thousand Pounds, the treadmills were sold for £110. Hyde Road Prison was demolished in 1890.