COVID-19 Update - April 2021: All visitors will be required to take a lateral flow test upon arrival and must wait 30 minutes for the results to come through before being allowed entry. 

If the test gives a positive result, you will not be allowed entry and will be asked to return home. 

Any persons who has had a positive result in the last 90 days (meaning they cannot complete another test) must bring with them, and provide evidence to staff of, the date the test was taken on to ensure they have completed their 10-day isolation period.

This includes any legal representatives visiting the centre.

Due to the 30-minute wait required to retrieve the result, it is advised that all visitors attend the centre 30 minutes prior to their appointment time.

About Brook House and Tinsley House

Brook House opened in March 2009 and is located on the south perimeter of Gatwick Airport. It has the capacity to hold 448 adult males, on 5 separate wings that are connected by a communal corridor where facilities such as healthcare, visits, education and recreational activities are located. Built to category B prison standard, the centre experiences a higher level of long-term detention than Tinsley House. 

Tinsley House opened in 1996 and was the first purpose-built IRC in the UK. It is located approx. half a mile from Brook House on the perimeter of Gatwick Airport. The Centre underwent significant refurbishment in 2017 and now has the capacity to accommodate 162 detainees, including a small number of families. The design of Tinsley House provides free flowing movement throughout its confines; therefore, all detainees are low-risk and seldom display challenging behavior.