Ministry of Justice confirms £7M sale of former Reading prison site

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has confirmed the former Reading Prison site has been sold to a non-profit organisation, the Ziran Education Foundation.  

The £7M sale follows an extensive bidding and vetting process to guarantee best value for taxpayers’ money while ensuring future planning applications acknowledge the historic nature of the site.

The Ziran Education Foundation will now discuss plans with Reading Borough Council as it will need to approve any development plans.  

Initial proposals included plans for an educational centre including a museum outlining the history of the prison and an exhibition space accessible to the public.   

The site has been in the centre of town for almost 180 years, housing thousands of prisoners, most famously, Oscar Wilde, who immortalised his imprisonment in the poem, The Ballad of Reading Gaol.

It was closed by the government as part of its jail modernisation programme and put up for sale in 2019.

Since its closure, campaigners from the local Rabble Theatre group have worked tirelessly to make sure the prison is turned into a space that benefits the local community.

The drive to turn the prison into an arts hub has gained backing from a number of celebrities including Reading's own Kate Winslet and street artist Banksy has helped draw attention to the cause.

In recent years the former prison has hit the headlines. In March 2021, Banksy added a piece of artwork to the prison wall showing a prisoner escaping with a typewriter.

It was widely thought to be a nod to Oscar Wilde who wrote "The Ballad of Reading Gaol."

The MoJ says proceeds from the sale will now be reinvested in the wider prison estate to help reduce reoffending and protect the public.

It says in the last decade it has raised over £105m through the sale of former prison sites. 

Reading Council Leader Jason Brock said: "The announcement comes as no surprise given the fact the sale to a private bidder has been mooted by Government for months now, but we are nevertheless disappointed that our long-standing bid – which was wholeheartedly backed by Reading’s arts and cultural community - will not come to fruition.

"We maintain this is a hugely significant site, and there exists an opportunity to transform it into something truly unique. While the confirmation of sale from the MoJ to the Council only contains scant detail at this stage, we welcome that the successful bid recognises the historical significance of this site to Reading, the wider region and nationally. The fact an education centre, providing community benefit, is planned alongside a museum outlining the site’s history, a community garden, and public exhibition space sounds encouraging, on the face of it.

"We have always maintained the Reading Gaol site should be about so much more than monetary value and we will look to work alongside the new owners to understand what they intend to achieve with the site.

"It is, of course, important to note the significant planning parameters which are fundamental to any future development. These are designed to protect the prison’s historical, archaeological and cultural value, all of which are of national significance. Any proposals would also need to enhance the Abbey Quarter as a heritage and cultural destination and it is also highly likely further archaeological assessments and investigations would be needed to inform any future development.

"We also remain hugely disappointed that it has taken a decade after the prison’s closure by the MoJ to reach this position, in what has been an absurdly lengthy process."

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