From a Prison
to a Place of Freedom

The story of Broad Street Prison — established under colonial rule, pulled down in 1979, and reborn in 2010 as Freedom Park.

The Colonial Years

Her Majesty's Broad Street Prison

Broad Street Prison was established after Britain made Lagos a Colony in 1861. The initial structure, built in 1882 with mud walls and grass thatch, did not last long — opponents of colonial rule repeatedly set it ablaze. In 1885 the colonial government imported bricks from England and rebuilt the prison.

The colonial government spent £16,000 on the prison in 1882 — twenty times what it spent on education that year. The Colonial report for 1898 records 676 males, 26 females and 11 juveniles imprisoned at Broad Street that year.

The prison hosted political activists who fought for Nigeria's independence, including Herbert Macaulay, Anthony Enahoro, Obafemi Awolowo and Michael Imoudu.

Broad Street Prison was pulled down in 1979 and the grounds were reduced to a dumping ground until the 1990s, when architect Theo Lawson drew up plans to transform the site into a creative space.

Original prison walls

The Full Timeline

1860s → Today

  • 1860s — Colonial era begins

    After Britain made Lagos a Colony in 1861, the Broad Street Prison was established — the first colonial prison in Nigeria.

  • 1885 — The brick prison

    Repeatedly set ablaze by opponents of colonial rule, the mud-walled prison was rebuilt with bricks imported from England.

  • 1979 — The prison falls

    Broad Street Prison was pulled down, and the grounds were left abandoned as a dumping ground.

  • 1999 — A vision of freedom

    Architect Theo Lawson begins reimagining the site as a creative space.

  • 2010 — Rebirth

    Freedom Park opens as a National Memorial, commemorating Nigeria's 50th independence anniversary.

  • Today — A living legacy

    A thriving space for art, music, nature and community — home to galleries, an amphitheatre and, since 2024, Nigeria's first skatepark.

Eyo statue

What You'll See

Monuments & Memory

Monuments across the park reveal Lagos' colonial heritage and the history of Her Majesty's Broad Street Prison:

  • The watchtower and original cell blocks preserved in the layout
  • Statues of nationalist leaders — Azikiwe, Bello and Awolowo — and a bust of Fela Kuti
  • The Eyo statue and a statue of a farmer carved from scrap metal at the entrance
  • The pond & bridge, fountain gardens and the tree-on-fence memorial
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