Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. in prison or military prison use, a guardroom.

1925		(con. WWI) Fraser & Gibbons Soldier and Sailor Words 105: Glass House, The: Detention barracks.
1933		Gibbons Truth About the Legion 174: [A]ll movements at the double exactly as in an English ‘glasshouse’ or Military Prison.
c.1939		B. Bennett ‘A Soldier’s Soliloquy’ in Billy Bennett’s Third Budget 11: By special request of a few college chums from the Aldershot Glasshouse.
1945		‘Henry Green’ Loving (1978) 98: ‘The glass ’ouse? What’s that?’ ‘Army Detention Barracks ducks.’.
1956		‘Charles Raven’ Und. Nights 150: They appear to be all true, even down to his being too tough for the Glasshouse, where he was sent for doing a sergeant.
1958		(con. 1940s) B. Behan Borstal Boy 71: It’s like in the Glass’ouse, they give a geezer a toothbrush [...] and tell him to scrub the lawn.
1962		H. Livings Nil Carborundum (1963) Act II: No, what’s behind it all, the Glasshouse and you by yourself with the M.P.s and their big boots.
1970		T. Parker Frying-Pan 44: I got eighty-four days in the glasshouse.
1977		G. Melly Rum, Bum and Concertina (1978) 180: A chance to hand him over to the naval police for yet another spell in the glasshouse.
1988		J. Healy Grass Arena (1990) 81: When he was young he did time in a military glasshouse.
2001		D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 78/1: glasshouse n. the prison officials’ office.
2024		J. Meades Empty Wigs (t/s) 445: There was a rumour that he had been in prison or a military ‘glasshouse’.

2. a police station.

1963		J. Rechy City of Night 132: The glasshouse being where they interrogate you, fingerprint you without booking you [...] to scare you from hanging around.
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 126: The pokey [dungeonette; glasshouse].
2010		K. Richards Life 229: He’d thrown loads of guys into jankers - army for the glasshouse .