Reclaim Holloway are campaigning for a Women's Building to be built on the site.
Visually striking, inclusive, accessible and welcoming, the Holloway Women’s Building will provide a positive and lasting legacy for the tens of thousands held in the prison over its 160-year history, while helping women to stay out of the criminal justice system. It will deliver a range of much-needed services for women and the local community. The Building will also feature working and meeting space for women’s projects that support social change, and for creative and cultural activities.
In early March 2019, three years after prison was closed, the site was sold to the Peabody housing association, backed by a £42 million loan from the Mayor of London. Peabody has committed to constructing genuinely affordable housing, green space, and a Women’s Building. Our activism paid off: these three major objectives of the Reclaim Holloway campaign were adopted by Islington Council’s 2018 planning guidance for the site.
Reclaim Holloway is continuing its campaign to ensure that three commitments are honoured, and in particular that the Holloway Women’s Building achieves its vision. Reclaim Holloway is working with architects, artists, women’s organisations and charities, academics, and women with experience of imprisonment to develop a detailed vision.
Peabody's public consultation process is underway. Find out more on Peabody's website.
Our work is inspired by the stories of women who were imprisoned in Holloway. Visit the Holloway Prison Stories site to read realistic and recognisable stories of Holloway, to explore the heritage of the prison, and to be inspired by a vision for the future.
