A PUBLIC consultation has been launched on whether to designate HMP Barlinnie as a Category A listed building.
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is seeking opinions on the proposal, which would cover the surviving parts of the prison site developed between 1880 and 1908.
Dara Parsons, head of designations at HES, said: "Listing is a way of ensuring that the importance of Scotland’s most historically, culturally and architecturally significant buildings is taken into account in decisions about their future.
"Barlinnie certainly holds a place in the national consciousness and is a rare and outstanding example of a purpose-built prison complex in Scotland, significant as the largest and most complete surviving example of its building type.
"We have not yet decided whether to list Barlinnie and we would encourage anyone with views on the building’s significance or any information that may help inform our final decision to review our report and take part in our consultation."
Barlinnie, in the northeast of Glasgow, is Scotland’s most complete surviving example of a 19th-century prison, considered important in the history of Scottish prison design and criminal justice.
Construction started in 1880 and the site opened two years later.
It was the first prison to be built in Scotland after the nationalisation of the prison system.
The consultation will run until January 22, 2025.
Listing is the process that identifies, designates, and provides statutory protection for buildings of special architectural or historic interest.
It is intended to ensure that what is special about a structure is taken into account in decisions about its future.
