Was the location the closed Oxford Gaol?
It looked familiar to me. It was closed in the late 80's, or early 90's and then immediately reopened as a temporary measure as a remand prison but I believe later closed again because it no longer satisfied the basic standards. The old narrow stairs were still in place when this film was made.
But I could be wrong, as it must be, at least, almost 15 years since I was there visiting!