| HMP Holloway | |
|---|---|
 Holloway Prison c.1896 |
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| Opened | 1852 |
| Management | HM Prison Service |
| Prison type | Adult Female/Young Offenders |
| Prisoner figures | 478 (2006) |
| Location | Holloway, London |
| Governor | Sue Saunders |
| Information | www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk |
HM Prison Holloway (sometimes known as Holloway Castle) is a closed prison for adult women and Young Offenders, located in the Holloway area of the London Borough of Islington, in north and Inner London, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.
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History
It was opened in 1852 as a mixed prison, but due to growing demand for space for female prisoners became female-only in 1903. Prisoners included suffragettes such as Anne Miller Fraser, Constance Markeivicz, Charlotte Despard, Mary Richardson, and Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington.
A total of five judicial executions by hanging took place at Holloway prison between 1903 and 1955:
- Amelia Sach and Annie Walters - 3 February 1903
- Edith Thompson - 9 January 1923
- Styllou Christofi - 13 December 1954
- Ruth Ellis - 13 July 1955
The bodies of all executed prisoners were buried in unmarked graves within the walls of Holloway Prison, as was customary. In 1971 the prison underwent an extensive programme of rebuilding, during which the remains of all the executed women were exhumed. With the exception of Ruth Ellis, the remains of the four other women executed at Holloway (Amelia Sach, Annie Walters, Edith Thompson and Styllou Christofi) were subsequently reburied in a single grave at Brookwood Cemetery near Woking, Surrey
It held Diana Mitford under Defence Regulation 18B during World War II, and after a personal intervention from Prime Minister Winston Churchill, her husband Sir Oswald Mosley was moved there. The couple lived together in a cottage in the prison grounds. They were released in 1943. More recently it housed, in 1966, Moors murderess Myra Hindley, in 1967, Nazi synagogue arsonist Françoise Dior, and in 2002, Maxine Carr who was implicated in the Soham murders. Other inmates include Amie Bartholomew, Emma Last, Rochelle Etherington, Ginny Crutcher, Alison Walder, Jayne Richards, Bella Coll and Chantal McCorkle.
Other noteworthy inmates that were held at the original 1852-era prison include Isabella Glyn, Christabel Pankhurst, and Oscar Wilde.
Holloway Prison was completely rebuilt between 1971-1985 on the same site.
The prison today
Holloway Prison holds female adults and young offenders remanded or sentenced by the local courts. Accommodation at the prison mostly comprises of single rooms, however there is some dormitory accommodation.
Holloway prison offers both full-time and part-time education to inmates, with courses including skills training workshops, British Industrial Cleaning Science BICS, gardens and painting.
There is a family-friendly Visitor's Centre at Holloway, run by the Prison Advice & Care Trust (pact), an independent charity.
In popular culture
- The British music group Bush wrote a song about the prison called Personal Holloway, on their CD Razorblade Suitcase
- Marillion's song "Holloway Girl" can be found on their album Seasons End
- The Kinks' "Holloway Jail" appears on Muswell Hillbillies
- Million Dead also have a song called Holloway Prison Blues on their album Harmony No Harmony
External links
- Capital Punishment UK Info on Holloway
- BBC Life Inside article
- Molly Cutpurse's History and Info
- Old pictures
Coordinates: 51°33′14.43″N 0°07′31.11″W / 51.5540083°N 0.1253083°W
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