Newgate Prison (also known as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands) now stands upon its site. The original door from a prison cell used to house St. Oliver Plunkett in 1681 is on display at St. Peter's Church in Drogheda, Ireland. The original iron gate leading to the gallows was used for decades in an alleyway in Buffalo, New York, USA and is currently housed in that city at Canisius College. Other famous prisoners at Newgate include: The phrase "[as] black as Newgate's knocker" is a Cockney reference to the door knocker on the front of the prison.
Old Newgate Prison the prison was used to house Loyalists who fought against independence, as well as British prisoners of war. During this time the holding areas in the mines became known as "Hell", and the prisoners were employed as miners (although this turned out to be unprofitable). In 1790 it became a state prison, the first such in America. Most of the above-ground facilities present today were built between then and 1802. These include the main prison wall, and five brick-and-masonry buildings, all of which now stand in ruins. In 1827, the remaining prisoners were transferred to the new, "state-of-the-art" Wethersfield State