Former death row has ghostly visits / No-frills cells are in ideal location
September 7, 2006, MARTHA CHAPMAN - Special to The Star

OTTAWA Accommodation with a central location, low rates and a history of such grisly misery it will make your hair stand on end. What more could a tourist want?

Welcome to the Ottawa Jail Hostel.

This is no ordinary inn. From 1862 to 1972, the imposing limestone building served as the Carleton County Jail. Within a year of the jail closing down it was converted into a hostel. Today's guests range from backpackers to retirees looking for value-priced accommodation; and you don't have to be a member of Hostelling International to stay here (though you'll get a discount).

It's certainly hard to beat the setting: a few minutes' walk from the Byward Market, Parliament Hill, and the large Rideau Shopping Centre.

"The location is amazing," enthuses 15-year-old Natasha Billson, staying at the hostel with a group of her fellow Girl Guides from London, England. "The public transport access is great, plus the nearby shopping is really good."

Though the level of comfort has doubtless improved since the days when naked prisoners slept on stone floors in the isolation cells ? many dying of exposure ? this place is definitely not for the 300 thread-count sheet crowd. Accommodation, whether it's in the former cells or the larger rooms that once housed offices and the family of the warden, is Spartan in the extreme. Furnishings consist of beds and not much more. Lockers are available to stash your stuff in during the day; and you are expected to make up your own bed (sheets rent for $2.50; towel usage is free). Some of the rooms boast a sink, but all showers and toilets are shared.

Single sex or coed accommodation can be requested, and larger rooms accommodate up to six friends or family together. There are two bunk beds and not much else in the small cells.

But accommodation doesn't seem to be a big issue for the easy-going guests. "What I like about hostels is that they're relatively cheap and you get to meet people from everywhere," says Katie Stewart, of Truro, N.S., who was staying at the hostel recently. She did admit to feeling a little thrill when, on check-in, she was assigned her cell number.

On-site facilities include pay-washing machines, a kitchen where you are welcome to cook your own food, and a sunny little courtyard ? the one-time exercise yard ? where guests enjoy pub nights and dining al fresco. Look up and you'll see the trap door on the second floor from which convicts were hanged ? much to the public's glee.

The social side of the hostel is busy, with nightly $5 suppers (chili, spaghetti, or curry) served in the vaulted ceiling dining room, which was formerly the chapel. The atmosphere is definitely one of friendly congeniality and informality. Resident Aussie staff escort the thirsty on pub crawls, while outdoors enthusiasts can join like-minded types on escorted walking, bike and kayak tours.

But some of the best touring might be right at the hostel. People are so intrigued by its grim history that there's a nightly Crime and Punishment tour. During the hour-long tour ($7.50 for guests, $12.50 for the public), you learn about the ghastly conditions for the 150 prisoners, which included prostitutes and their children. One display features flogging straps, handcuffs and a straitjacket, each easily as shiver-inducing as the ghost stories. "You really are staying in a big museum," points out assistant manager Robin Webster.

The former death row (not available as accommodation, which is probably a good thing) is widely considered to be haunted. Webster won't come here alone, saying that she's "had a few things happen to me," including hearing men's voices in a vacant, locked room. She screamed and ran, but no one in the busy hostel heard her.

Young Natasha is thrilled to have her own ghost story to take back to London. "My girlfriend and I were chatting in the middle of the night in one of the common rooms, and suddenly the door next to us started rattling. I ran back to my cell, I can tell you!"

In fact, it's not uncommon for people to check in ? and leave before they've even spent the night, having been thoroughly creeped out. "That's not a bad thing," says a grinning Ben Syme at the front desk. "It means we're that scary!"

The Ottawa Jail Hostel is located at 75 Nicholas St.; 613-235-2595; www.hihostels.ca/ottawa. Rates range from $19 to $60 per person per night. A variety of special activities is planned for late October to coincide with Halloween, including special tours and midnight séances.
 
Martha Chapman is a Toronto-based freelance writer.