Meanwhile, the privately-run Altcourse Prison in Fazakerley has 374 inmates more than it was designed for, and is only 22 prisoners short of its total capacity.
Historian Steve Binns said: "The Bridewell is a fine old building but I would imagine it's a bit cold. It was built in the Victorian tradition to frighten the God into any one who has to spend time there."
Carol Gustafson, chairman of Merseyside Police Authority which owns the building, said: "The police authority has not received a request regarding the use of the Main Bridewell.
"However, this is something we would have to look at carefully due to health and safety requirements."
Geoff Dobson, deputy director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: "We know that locking people up in old Victorian buildings will not help rehabilitation.
"It is possible, though, to keep a Victorian facade and build a modern facility behind it."
THE Bridewell was built in 1840 and used originally by police to house the city's petty criminals and drunken sailors.
The Grade II-listed former work-house, behind Liverpool Magistrates' Court, remained in use as a police custody facility until three years ago.
In 1991, former Merseyside Police Authority chairman George Bundred branded the Main Bridewell "the worst jail in Britain".
Long-term remand prisoners were moved out of the jail after conditions were described as "inhumane" by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture.
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