Everton Lock-Up, sometimes referenced by one of its nicknames such as Prince Rupert's Tower or Prince Rupert's Castle is a

village lock-up A village lock-up is a historic building once used for the temporary detention of people in England and Wales, mostly where official prisons or criminal courts were beyond easy walking distance. Lockups were often used for the confinement of dru ...

located on Everton Brow in Everton, Liverpool. The 18th-century structure is one of two

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

lock-ups that still survive in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

; the other is in

Wavertree Wavertree is a district of Liverpool, England. It is a ward of Liverpool City Council, and its population at the 2011 census was 14,772. Located to the south and east of the city centre, it is bordered by various districts and suburbs such as ...

. It is famous for being the centre-piece of the crest of Everton F.C.Liverpool History Society
The Grade II-listed building, which was opened in 1787, was originally an overnight holding place where local drunks and criminals were taken by

parish constable A parish constable, also known as a petty constable, was a law enforcement officer, usually unpaid and part-time, serving a parish. The position evolved from the ancient '' chief pledge'' of a ''tithing'', and takes its name from the office of ''con ...

s. Prisoners would then be brought before local

Justices of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for trial. Punishments would usually be similar to community service such as clearing ditches, unblocking drains or removing rubbish. The Friends of Everton Park have included the lock-up in their Everton Park Heritage Trail with information boards displayed near the building. It is sometimes called Prince Rupert's Tower, though it was in fact erected 143 years after Prince Rupert's Royalist Army camped in the area during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

Siege of Liverpool in 1644. It is likely the name arose because Everton Brow was historically where preparations were made to attack the Parliamentarian garrison holding

Liverpool Castle Liverpool Castle was a castle in Liverpool, England, that stood from the early 13th century to the early 18th century (1237–1726). Construction The castle was probably erected in the 1230s, between 1232 and 1235, under the orders of William ...

. Prince Rupert, as commander of the

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...

cavalry of

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

is said to have looked down on the fortress and dismissed it with the words: "It is a crow’s nest that any party of schoolboys could take!" It eventually fell after a week of heavy fighting and the loss of 1,500 of his men.

Use by Everton F.C.

A depiction of the Everton Lock-Up has appeared on the crest of professional football club Everton F.C. since 1938. In 2003, a plaque was added to the building stating the importance of its sporting association. In May 1997, Everton gave £15,000 for renovating the structure and in February 2014 Everton Lock-Up was permanently illuminated blue.

References

{{reflist, 2 Grade II listed buildings in Liverpool Everton F.C.