Parkhurst is a neighbourhood north-west of the town of Newport, Isle of Wight. It has few amenities, but a large residential population.
It is notable for housing three prisons: the well-known Parkhurst Prison itself, Camp Hill, and Albany. Parkhurst and Albany were once amongst the few top-security prisons in the United Kingdom, but were downgraded in the 1990s.
A number of well-known criminals were accommodated in the Parkhurst prisons, including John Duddy, the Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe and the Kray twins.
The prisons caused the construction during the mid 20th century of housing estates to accommodate prison workers and their families, and much of the area is characterised by these poor-quality estates, now largely in private ownership but still in need of repair.
Parkhurst also adjoins Parkhurst Forest, a large Forestry Commission owned woodland which includes plantation woodland and a large area of ancient woodland, and is well used by local people for recreation.
Parkhurst Prison was built as a military hospital in 1805, then transformed to a prison for boys awaiting deportation, mainly to Australia, as part of the Parkhurst act of 1835.
From 1863 to 1869 Parkhurst was a female prison.
Parkhurst now caters for long-term and life sentence category B prisoners and the remands from the Isle of Wight courts.
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