Freedom Park is a memorial and leisure park area in the middle of downtown

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

Lagos Island Lagos Island (''Ìsàlẹ̀ Èkó'') is the principal and central local government area (LGA) in Lagos, it was the capital of Lagos State until 1957. It is part of the Lagos Division. As of the preliminary 2006 Nigerian census, the LGA had a p ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

which was formerly Her Majesty's Broad Street Prison. It was designed by the Architect Theo Lawson. The Park was constructed to preserve the history and cultural heritage of Nigerians. Monuments in the park reveal the Lagos colonial heritage and history of Her Majesty's Broad Street prisons. It was built to commemorate the 50th anniversary independence celebration in October, 2010. The Park serves as a National Memorial, a Historical landmark, a Cultural site, Arts and Recreation centre. The park, when it was a prison hosted some political activists who fought for Nigeria's independence. The park, which is now a serene abode for individuals, visitors' collective contemplation and interaction is open to the public every day. Today, freedom park has become a venue for diverse social events and recreational entertainment.

History

Broad Street Prison was established after Britain made Lagos a Colony in 1861 (see

Lagos Treaty of Cession The Treaty of Cession, 6 August 1861 or the Lagos Treaty of Cession was a treaty between the British Empire and Oba Dosunmu of Lagos (spelt 'Docemo' in English documents) wherein Dosunmu, under the threat of military bombardment, ceded Lagos Isl ...

). The initial prison structure was built in 1882 with mud walls and grass thatch but did not last long because of sabotage from colonial government opponents. According to Theo Lawson, architect of Freedom Park, opponents of British colonialism in Lagos "kept throwing fire into it and setting it ablaze and so then in 1885 the colonial government imported bricks from England and rebuilt the prison". The colonial government's expense on the prison in 1882 (£16,000) revealed the government's priority on law and order versus other initiatives such as education which the government spent £700 on. The Colonial report for 1898 indicates that 676 males, 26 females, and 11 juveniles were imprisoned at Broad Street prison for the year. Broad Street Prison was pulled down in 1979 and was reduced to a dumping ground until the 1990s when plans were drawn up to transform the site into a creative space. Freedom_park

Notable prisoners at Broad Street Prison

Herbert Macaulay Olayinka Herbert Samuel Heelas Badmus Macaulay (14 November 1864 – 7 May 1946) was a Nigerian nationalist, politician, surveyor, engineer, architect, journalist, and musician and is considered by many Nigerians as the founder of Niger ...

* Anthony Enahoro *

Obafemi Awolowo Chief Obafemi Jeremiah Oyeniyi Awolowo (; 6 March 1909 – 9 May 1987) was a Yoruba nationalist and Nigerian statesman who played a key role in Nigeria's independence movement (1957-1960). Awolowo founded the Yoruba nationalist group Egbe O ...

* Michael Imoudu

Gallery

File:Old prison cells.jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 29.jpg File:Freedom Park At Lagos, Island, Nigeria.jpg File:Freedom Park, Lagos inscription on the wall.jpg File:Vegetation at Freedom Park, Lagos.jpg File:Freedom Park Lagos-Entrance Gate Main.webm File:Images of Freedom Park 33.jpg File:Freedom Park-Gate 2.jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 50.jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 16.jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 41.jpg File:Images at Freedom Park 01.jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 48.jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 46.jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 22.jpg File:The Alkebulan collection.jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 64.jpg File:Images at Freedom Park 04.jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 38.jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 45.jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 19.jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 20.jpg File:Freedom Park Obelisk.jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 28.jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 57.jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 54.jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 61.jpg File:Images at Freedom Park 09.jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 30.jpg File:Freedom Park Festival 2.jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 23.jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 54.jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 65.jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 74.jpg File:Freedom Park along the way to gate 2.jpg File:Images of Freedom Park 18.jpg

References

Fastlagos review on Freedom Park
Freedom Park is an arts and recreation center located on what used to be a colonial prison in Lagos
Freedom Park
Folu Oyefeso. Retrieved 4 September 2020.

External links

* * https://www.foluoyefeso.com/post/freedom-park {{Authority control Parks in Lagos Museums in Lagos Monuments and memorials in Lagos Lagos Island Landmarks in Lagos Protected areas of Lagos Prisons in Nigeria History of Lagos Historic buildings and structures in Nigeria 2010 establishments in Nigeria Protected areas established in 2010 Parks in Nigeria Nature parks in Nigeria