HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs
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HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs (nicknamed "The Scrubs") is a Category B men's local
prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...
, located in the White City area of the
London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham () is a London boroughs, London borough in West London and which also forms part of Inner London. The borough was formed in 1965 as the London Borough of Hammersmith from the merger of the former Metr ...
in
West London West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary. The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: Central London, N ...
, England. The prison is operated by
His Majesty's Prison Service His Majesty's Prison Service (HMPS) is a part of HM Prison and Probation Service (formerly the National Offender Management Service), which is the part of His Majesty's Government charged with managing most of the prisons within England and ...
.


History

The prison lies at the southern end of the ancient
park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
of the
same name ''Same Name'' is an American reality television series in which an average person swaps lives with a celebrity of the same first and last name. It premiered on July 24, 2011 on CBS. The series received low ratings, and CBS pulled it after four-ep ...
. The area is first mentioned in 1189 as Wormhold Scrubs (). The name was later corrupted to "wormwood", referring to the herb ''
Artemisia absinthium ''Artemisia absinthium'', otherwise known as common wormwood, is a species of '' Artemisia'' native to North Africa and temperate regions of Eurasia, and widely naturalized in Canada and the northern United States. It is grown as an ornamental ...
'', traditionally used as a herb for the treatment of parasitic worms.


19th century

The initial steps in the winter of 1874 involved the construction of a small prison made of
corrugated iron Corrugated galvanised iron (CGI) or steel, colloquially corrugated iron (near universal), wriggly tin (taken from UK military slang), pailing (in Caribbean English), corrugated sheet metal (in North America), zinc (in Cyprus and Nigeria) or ...
and a temporary shed to serve as a barracks for the warders. Nine specially picked prisoners, all within a year of release, completed the buildings, after which 50 more prisoners were brought to erect a second temporary prison wing. Building then began on the permanent prison, with bricks being manufactured on site. By the summer of 1875, enough bricks had been prepared to build the prison's first block and its ground floor was finished as winter began. Construction was completed in 1891. The designer was Sir
Edmund Frederick Du Cane Sir Edmund Frederick Du Cane (23 March 1830 – 7 June 1903) was an English major-general of the Royal Engineers and prison administrator. Early life Born at Colchester, Essex on 23 March 1830, he was youngest child in a family of four sons and ...
, who gave his name to the prison's road.


The First World War

The prison housed a number of
conscientious objector A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of conscience or religion. The term has also been extended to objecting to working for the military–indu ...
s in the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, one of whom, the
Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...
journalist Hubert W. Peet, wrote about the conditions there in '' 112 Days' Hard Labour'' (1917).


1920 Hunger Strike

In April 1920
Irish Republican Irish republicanism () is the political movement for an Irish republic, void of any British rule. Throughout its centuries of existence, it has encompassed various tactics and identities, simultaneously elective and militant and has been both w ...
prisoners demanded political status, when denied they began a hunger strike which led to their eventual release. During the strike large crowds supporting the Irish hunger strikers gathered outside of the prison and were attacked by local residents with more than 70 injuries reported.


The Second World War

During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the prison was taken over by the
War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet ...
and the prisoners were evacuated to other prisons. The Security Service (MI5) was based at Wormwood Scrubs from 1939 to 1940.


Modern era

On 22 October 1966
KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...
double-agent
George Blake George Blake ( Behar; 11 November 1922 – 26 December 2020) was a Espionage, spy with Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and worked as a double agent for the Soviet Union. He became a communist and decided to work for the Minist ...
escaped from Wormwood Scrubs and fled to the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. In 1979, IRA prisoners staged a rooftop protest over visiting rights. Sixty inmates and several prison officers were injured. In 1982, an inquiry blamed much of the difficulties on failings in prison management. The governor, John McCarthy, had quit before the rioting. In a letter to ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
,'' he had described Wormwood Scrubs as a "penal dustbin". In the 1990s, a police investigation into allegations of staff brutality resulted in the suspension of 27 prison officers and the conviction of six for assault, though three later won appeals against conviction. The Prison Service paid out more than three million pounds in out-of-court settlements with ex-prisoners who had alleged brutality. The
chief inspector of prisons His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons is the head of HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the senior inspector of prisons, young offender institutions and immigration service detention and removal centres in England and Wales. The current chief inspe ...
delivered a damning report on the conditions, in which the prison was told to improve or close. In March 2004, a further report from the chief inspector stated that Wormwood Scrubs had greatly improved after making fundamental changes. Three quarters of inmates at the prison had said that staff treated them with respect, which was better than the national average. However, the report also stated that inmates spent too much time in their cells, and that only 36 per cent of eligible inmates were involved in education or work. In November 2008, another report from the chief inspector stated that conditions at Wormwood Scrubs had deteriorated since the last inspection. Heightened
prison gang A prison gang is an inmate organization that operates within a prison system. It has a corporate entity and exists into perpetuity. Its membership is restrictive, mutually exclusive, and often requires a lifetime commitment. Prison officials and ot ...
activity had been detected, and 20 per cent of prisoners had failed drugs tests. The prison cell blocks are Grade II listed, with the gatehouse given the higher Grade II* rating. Major structural changes to the prison's management took place in 2013. In 2014, another report by the Inspectorate of Prisons was critical of the prison, describing it as "filthy". The inspectors also stated that there had been a failure to put into place recommendations by the prisons and probation ombudsman to deal with suicide and self-harm. The chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, a charitable body, said "I have never seen a public service deteriorate so rapidly and so profoundly." In 2017, the prison was reportedly overcrowded and some areas were strewn with litter and infested with rats and cockroaches. At the time of the inspection, there were 1,258 prisoners. Some were locked in their cells for 23 hours a day. The prison was reportedly dangerous for staff and inmates, and officers were concerned for their safety. There were 40 to 50 violent incidents a month. Chief Inspector Peter Clarke described "an extremely concerning picture" including, "intractable failings" continuing since earlier inspections from 2014. In 2018, a prisoner was stabbed to death and three other prisoners were charged with his
murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...
. On 30 August 2018 prisoner Winston Augustine committed suicide in the segregation unit after spending two days locked in a showerless cell with no food and without the
tramadol Tramadol, sold under the brand name Tramal among others, is an opioid analgesic, pain medication and a serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) used to treat moderately severe pain. When taken by mouth in an immediate-release form ...
prescribed for
kidney stone Kidney stone disease (known as nephrolithiasis, renal calculus disease, or urolithiasis) is a crystallopathy and occurs when there are too many minerals in the urine and not enough liquid or hydration. This imbalance causes tiny pieces of cr ...
s that caused him pain. He was suffering from
ketoacidosis Ketoacidosis is a metabolic state caused by uncontrolled production of ketone bodies that cause a metabolic acidosis. While ketosis refers to any elevation of blood ketones, ketoacidosis is a specific pathologic condition that results in changes i ...
due to starvation. A 2021 inquest subsequently identified the prison's failure to provide food and medication as contributing factors to the death; the facility's head of safer custody told the inquest she was "horrified" by the "wrongdoing". In 2019, HM Inspectorate of Prisons found that although improvements had been made to make the prison safer, "the work was often not sufficiently embedded to have yet made enough difference to outcomes". Another inspection, in 2021, reported that improvements had been maintained and there were reductions in the levels of violence, though this was partly because many prisoners were locked in their cells for most of the day. At the time of the inspection there were 1,079 prisoners. In 2024, a prisoner named Graham Gomm absconded after he had been taken to Hammersmith Hospital to be treated following him feeling unwell the day before.


The prison today

Wormwood Scrubs is a Category B prison for adult males, sentenced or on remand from the local courts. The prison has five main wings and a number of smaller dedicated units. All accommodation includes electricity, integral sanitation, a TV, and accompanying bedroom furniture: * A wing – remand and sentenced prisoners * B wing – induction wing * C wing – remand and sentenced prisoners * D wing – remand and sentenced prisoners and high risk prisoner requiring single cells * E wing – remand and sentenced prisoners and high risk prisoner requiring single cells * Conibeere Unit – prisoners who require a substance misuse stabilisation regime * First Night Centre – for prisoners during their first days in custody There is a prison shop previously run by
Aramark Aramark is an American Foodservice, food service and Facility management, facilities services provider to clients in areas including education, prisons, healthcare, business, and leisure. It operates in North America (United States and Canada) a ...
, but now run by
DHL Supply Chain DHL Supply Chain is a division of Deutsche Post DHL and is affiliated with DHL. Headquartered in Bonn, Deutsche Post has 510,000 employees. In 2016, DHL Supply Chain was primarily competing in strategic life sciences and healthcare, automotive ...
. The two oval plaster reliefs on the front of the prison depict
Elizabeth Fry Elizabeth Fry (née Gurney; 21 May 1780 – 12 October 1845), sometimes referred to as Betsy Fry, was an English prison reformer, social reformer, philanthropist and Quaker. Fry was a major driving force behind new legislation to improve the tr ...
and
John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. His eleven-year tenure as prime min ...
, both well known figures in
prison reform Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, improve the effectiveness of a penal system, reduce recidivism or implement alternatives to incarceration. It also focuses on ensuring the reinstatement of those whose lives are ...
.


Notable inmates

* Paul Blackburn *
George Blake George Blake ( Behar; 11 November 1922 – 26 December 2020) was a Espionage, spy with Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and worked as a double agent for the Soviet Union. He became a communist and decided to work for the Minist ...
*
Reginald Horace Blyth Reginald Horace Blyth (3 December 1898 – 28 October 1964) was an English writer and devotee of Japanese culture. He is most famous for his writings on Zen and on haiku poetry. Early life Blyth was born in Essex, England, the son of a railway ...
*
Horatio Bottomley Horatio William Bottomley (23 March 1860 – 26 May 1933) was an English financier, journalist, editor, newspaper proprietor, swindler, and Member of Parliament. He is best known for his editorship of the popular magazine ''John Bull (maga ...
*
Ian Brady The Moors murders were a series of child killings committed by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley in and around Manchester, England, between July 1963 and October 1965. The victims were five children—Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesl ...
*
Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. He was known for his roles in action films and his "granite features and brawny physique". Bronson was born into extreme poverty in ...
*
Basil Bunting Basil Cheesman Bunting (1 March 1900 – 17 April 1985) was a British modernist poet whose reputation was established with the publication of '' Briggflatts'' in 1966, generally regarded as one of the major achievements of the modernist traditi ...
*
Fred Copeman Frederick Bayes Copeman OBE (1907–1983) was an English volunteer in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War, commanding the British Battalion. He is also notable for contributing to London's air raid defences during the Second ...
* Peter Samuel Cook aka The Cambridge Rapist *
Pete Doherty Peter Doherty (born 12 March 1979) is an English musician. He is best known for being co-frontman of the Libertines, which he formed with Carl Barât in 1997. His other musical projects are indie rock, indie bands Babyshambles and Peter Dohert ...
*
Lord Alfred Douglas Lord Alfred Bruce Douglas (22 October 1870 – 20 March 1945), also known as Bosie Douglas, was an English poet and journalist, and a lover of Oscar Wilde. At Oxford University he edited an undergraduate journal, ''The Spirit Lamp'', that carr ...
* Michael Gaughan * Graham Gomm *
Leslie Grantham Leslie Michael Grantham (30 April 1947 – 15 June 2018) was an English actor who played "Dirty" Den Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He was a convicted murderer, having served 10 years for the killing of a West Germany, West German ...
* John Hampson * Nicholas van Hoogstraten * John Hopkins *
Thomas Jones, Baron Maelor Thomas William Jones, Baron Maelor (10 February 1898 – 18 November 1984) was a British Labour politician. Born into a mining family in Ponciau, Wrexham, Wales, he was educated at Ponciau School before becoming a coal miner at the nearby Bersh ...
*
Mike Lesser Michael John Lesser (28 September 1943 – 1 July 2015) was a mathematical philosopher and political activist. Early life The youngest member of the Committee of 100, he was sent, aged 16, to Wormwood Scrubs Prison along with most of the com ...
*
Saunders Lewis Saunders Lewis (born John Saunders Lewis; 15 October 1893 – 1 September 1985) was a Welsh politician, poet, dramatist, Medievalist, and literary critic. Born into a Welsh-speaking ministerial family in Greater Liverpool, Lewis studied in a p ...
*
Konon Molody Konon Trofimovich Molody (; 17 January 1922 – 9 September 1970) was a Soviet intelligence officer, known in the West as Gordon Arnold Lonsdale. Posing as a Canadian businessman during the Cold War, he was a non-official (illegal) KGB intellig ...
(alias Gordon Lonsdale) *
William Montagu, 9th Duke of Manchester William Angus Drogo Montagu, 9th Duke of Manchester PC (3 March 1877 – 9 February 1947), styled Lord Kimbolton from 1877 to 1890 and Viscount Mandeville from 1890 to 1892, was a British peer and Liberal politician. He served as Captain of t ...
*
Mark Morrison Mark Anthony Joseph Morrison (born 3 May 1974) is a British singer, best known for his 1996 platinum hit song " Return of the Mack", which was immediately met with success upon its release in several European countries. In the following year, ...
*
Timmy Murphy Timothy James Murphy (born 20 August 1974 in County Kildare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland), known as Timmy Murphy, is a retired Irish jockey who competed mostly in National Hunt racing, National Hunt racing. A multiple Grade 1-winning rider, h ...
* Lord
William Beauchamp Nevill Lord William Beauchamp Nevill (23 May 1860 – 12 May 1939) was an English Aristocracy (class), aristocrat who was born into the wealthy family of William Nevill, 1st Marquess of Abergavenny, grew up in Eridge Castle, and attended Eton College. ...
. *
Dennis Nilsen Dennis Andrew Nilsen (23 November 1945 – 12 May 2018) was a Scottish serial killer and Necrophilia, necrophile who murdered at least twelve young men and boys between 1978 and 1983. Convicted at the Old Bailey of six counts of murder and two ...
* Nines *
Joseph Pearce Joseph Pearce (born February 12, 1961), is an English-born American writer, and Director of the Center for Faith and Culture at Aquinas College in Nashville, Tennessee, before which he held positions at Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in ...
*
Owen Philipps, 1st Baron Kylsant Owen Cosby Philipps, 1st Baron Kylsant (25 March 1863 – 5 June 1937), known as Sir Owen Philipps between 1909 and 1923, was a British businessman and politician, jailed in 1931 for producing a document with intent to deceive. Background Phil ...
* Count
Geoffrey Potocki de Montalk Count Geoffrey Wladislas Vaile Potocki de Montalk (10 June 1903 – 14 April 1997) was a poet, polemicist, and pretender to the Polish throne. Born in New Zealand, he was the eldest son of Auckland architect Robert Wladislas (Potocki) de Mont ...
*
Bruce Reynolds Bruce Richard Reynolds (7 September 1931 – 28 February 2013) was an English criminal who masterminded the 1963 Great Train Robbery (1963), Great Train Robbery. At the time it was Britain's largest robbery, netting , equivalent to £73.7 mi ...
leader of The Great Train Robbery *
Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943) is an English musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who is an original member, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-principal songwriter of the Rolling Stones. His songwriting partnership wi ...
*
Nikos Sampson Nikos Sampson (; born Nikolaos (Nikos) Georgiadis, ; 16 December 1935 – 9 May 2001) was a Greek-Cypriot journalist, militant and politician, who was installed as acting President of Cyprus during the 1974 coup. A former journalist and EOK ...
* Koci Selamaj * Richard Starkie *
John Stonehouse John Thomson Stonehouse (28 July 192514 April 1988) was a British Labour and Co-operative Party politician, businessman and minister who was a member of the Cabinet under Prime Minister Harold Wilson. He is remembered for his unsuccessful atte ...
*
Michael Tippett Sir Michael Kemp Tippett (2 January 1905 – 8 January 1998) was an English composer who rose to prominence during and immediately after the Second World War. In his lifetime he was sometimes ranked with his contemporary Benjamin Britten as o ...
*
Lewis Valentine Lewis Edward Valentine M.A. (1 June 1893 – 1 March 1986) was a Welsh politician, Baptist pastor, author, editor, and Welsh-language activist. He was the first leader of the Welsh political party Plaid Cymru. Early life Valentine was born i ...
*
Peter Wildeblood Peter Wildeblood (19 May 1923 – 14 November 1999) was a British-Canadian journalist, novelist, playwright and gay rights campaigner. He was one of the first men in the UK to publicly declare his homosexuality. Early life Peter Wildeblood wa ...
*
David John Williams David John Williams (26 June 1885 – 4 January 1970) was one of the foremost Welsh-language writers of the twentieth century and a prominent Welsh nationalist. Life Williams was born at Pen-rhiw, a farmhouse near Llansawel, Carmarthenshire, ...


In popular culture


Literature

* '' Death of a Train'' (1946) An Inspector French Mystery by
Freeman Wills Crofts Freeman Wills Crofts FRSA (1 June 1879 – 11 April 1957) was an Irish engineer and mystery author, remembered best for the character of Inspector Joseph French. A railway engineer by training, Crofts introduced railway themes into many of h ...
. * "The Kite" (1946), short story by
W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...
published in The Strand Magazine. * "Episode" (1947), short story by
W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...
published in Good Housekeeping. * One of the main characters in
Sarah Waters Sarah Ann Waters (born 21 July 1966) is a Welsh novelist. She is best known for her novels set in Victorian society and featuring lesbian protagonists, such as '' Tipping the Velvet'' and '' Fingersmith''. Life and education Early life Sara ...
's novel "The Night Watch" (2006) served his sentence at the Scrubs. *
Peter Wildeblood Peter Wildeblood (19 May 1923 – 14 November 1999) was a British-Canadian journalist, novelist, playwright and gay rights campaigner. He was one of the first men in the UK to publicly declare his homosexuality. Early life Peter Wildeblood wa ...
was imprisoned in the Scrubs in 1954. His book "Against the Law", describes his trial and imprisonment. * The prison is mentioned in the Russian novel ''Figurehead'', by Danil Koretsky (Данил Корецкий, ''Подставная фигура''). The parents of the principal character are held in the Scrubs and are unsuccessfully sought-out by the Russian SVR. *
Bunny Manders Harry Manders (almost exclusively known as Bunny Manders) is a fictional character in the popular series of Raffles stories by E. W. Hornung. He is the companion of A. J. Raffles, a cricketer and gentleman thief, who makes a living robbing the ...
, the narrator of the A. J. Raffles stories by
E. W. Hornung Ernest William Hornung (7 June 1866 – 22 March 1921) was an English author and poet known for writing the A. J. Raffles series of stories about a gentleman thief in late 19th-century London. Hornung was educated at Uppingham School; a ...
, serves his sentence at Wormwood Scrubs. * Julet Armstrong, protagonist of the 2018 Kate Atkinson World War II novel ''
Transcription Transcription refers to the process of converting sounds (voice, music etc.) into letters or musical notes, or producing a copy of something in another medium, including: Genetics * Transcription (biology), the copying of DNA into RNA, often th ...
,'' works for MI5 for a time in the Scrubs. *This prison is also mentioned in the book "Stay where you are and then leave", by Irish writer
John Boyne John Boyne (born 30 April 1971) is an Irish author, novelist, and writer. He is the author of sixteen novels for adults, six novels for younger readers, two novellas, and one collection of short stories. Boyne's historical novel '' The Boy in ...
, as the place where character Joe Patience stayed for almost two years while refusing to be a soldier in the first world war (chapter 6). * The autobiography 'HMP Manchester Prison Officer previously titled Psychic Screw' of former Prison Officer John G. Sutton details events at the prison including the specifics concerning the rooftop protest by the IRA. Sutton served as an Officer at the jail from 1975 to late 1976.


Film and television

In films and TV programmes set in Britain the front entrance of Wormwood Scrubs is frequently chosen as a location for scenes showing a character being released from prison, as, for example, in: *''
Billy Liar ''Billy Liar'' is a 1959 novel by Keith Waterhouse that was later adapted into a play, a Billy Liar (film), film, a Billy (musical), musical and a Billy Liar (TV series), TV series. The work has inspired and been featured in a number of popul ...
'' *''
The Man In Possession :Not to be confused with the 1937 film ''Personal Property'' (also based on the Harwood play), whose alternate title is ''The Man in Possession''. ''The Man in Possession'' is a 1931 American pre-Code romantic comedy film starring Robert Montgom ...
'' *''
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold ''The Spy Who Came in from the Cold'' is a 1963 Cold War spy fiction, spy novel by the British author John le Carré. It depicts Alec Leamas, a United Kingdom, British intelligence officer, being sent to East Germany as a faux Defection, defect ...
'' *''
The Horse's Mouth ''The Horse's Mouth'' is a 1944 novel by Anglo-Irish writer Joyce Cary, the third in his ''First Trilogy'', whose first two books are ''Herself Surprised'' (1941) and ''To Be a Pilgrim'' (1942). ''The Horse's Mouth'' follows the adventures o ...
'' *''
Hot Millions ''Hot Millions'' is a 1968 British caper story feature film made by MGM. It was directed by Eric Till and produced by Mildred Freed Alberg, from a collaborative screenplay by Ira Wallach and star Peter Ustinov. The music score was composed by L ...
'' *''
Frenzy ''Frenzy'' is a 1972 British thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It is the penultimate feature film of his extensive career. The screenplay by Anthony Shaffer is based on the 1966 novel '' Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square ...
'' *''
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (film) ''A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square'' is a 1980 British heist film directed by Ralph Thomas, written by Guy Elmes and starring Richard Jordan, Oliver Tobias and David Niven. It is subtitled "based on one of the biggest robberies in London". ...
'' *''
A Very British Coup ''A Very British Coup'' is a 1982 novel by British Labour politician Chris Mullin. The novel has twice been adapted for television; as '' A Very British Coup'' in 1988 and as '' Secret State'' in 2012. Plot Harry Perkins is the left-wing Leade ...
'' *''
Cass Cass may refer to: People and fictional characters * Cass (surname), a list of people * Cass (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Big Cass, ring name of wrestler William Morrissey * Cass, in British band Skunk Anansie * Cass, ...
'' *''
The Sweeney ''The Sweeney'' is a British police drama television series focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London. It stars John Thaw as Detective ...
'' – "One of Your Own" *''
The Italian Job ''The Italian Job'' is a 1969 British comedy Caper story, caper film written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley, directed by Peter Collinson (film director), Peter Collinson, and starring Michael Caine. The film's plot centres ...
'' *'' The Baron'' – "Something for a Rainy Day" *''
Minder A minder is the person assigned to guide or escort a visitor, or to provide protection to somebody, or to otherwise assist or take care of something, i.e. a person who " minds". Government-appointed persons to accompany foreign visitors are of ...
'', in the episodes " Bury My Half at Waltham Green" and " The Birdman of Wormwood Scrubs"; Terry McCann, the titular minder, also served his time in the Scrubs before the series began and the front of the prison can be seen in the opening credits. *''
Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again ...
'' – in the episode "Such Men Are Dangerous" John Drake (played by
Patrick McGoohan Patrick Joseph McGoohan (; March 19, 1928 – January 13, 2009) was an Irish-American actor of film, television, and theatre. Born in New York City to Irish parents, he was raised in Ireland and England. He began his career in England during t ...
) is substituted for a man being released and is shown leaving the Scrubs. *''
Steptoe and Son ''Steptoe and Son'' is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about a father-and-son rag-and-bone business in 26a Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC in black a ...
'' *''
Rumpole of the Bailey ''Rumpole of the Bailey'' is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer. It starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, a middle-aged London barrister who defended a broad variety of clients, ...
'' series 2 "Rumpole and the Age for Retirement" 1979 *''
The Slammer ''The Slammer'' (also known as ''The Slammer Returns'' for its final two series) is a talent show for children that was broadcast on CBBC from 22 September 2006 until 26 July 2014. Set in a fictional prison called HMP The Slammer, this program ...
'' used the prison doors to show winners of the Freedom Show being released. A two-part documentary, ''Wormwood Scrubs'', was shown on
ITV1 ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the ITV (TV network), Channel 3 ...
in May 2010.


Music

*
Gary Moore Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 19526 February 2011) was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career, he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, Heavy metal music, heavy ...
is shown being escorted out of the prison entrance by a guard on the cover of his 1978 album '' Back on the Streets''. * The prison is mentioned in
The Jam The Jam were an English rock band formed in 1972 in Woking, Surrey, consisting of Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler. They released 18 consecutive top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in ...
's song "
Down in the Tube Station at Midnight "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight" is a single by the Jam, the second single from their third album, '' All Mod Cons''. Released in October 1978, it reached No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart. The single was backed by a cover version of the Who' ...
" and in
Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, author and political activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic th ...
's "Rotting on Remand" from the '' Workers Playtime'' album. * The
Pete Doherty Peter Doherty (born 12 March 1979) is an English musician. He is best known for being co-frontman of the Libertines, which he formed with Carl Barât in 1997. His other musical projects are indie rock, indie bands Babyshambles and Peter Dohert ...
song "
Broken Love Song “Broken Love Song” is the second single released from Pete Doherty's debut album, ''Grace/Wastelands ''Grace/Wastelands'' is the debut solo studio album from the Babyshambles frontman and the Libertines co-frontman Peter Doherty. It was re ...
" is about the singer's tenure in the prison in early 2008. *
Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright and actor. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British India, where he spent his ...
recorded "The Wormwood Scrubs Tango" about an elderly car thief in the prison. * In 2018,
Murdoc Niccals Gorillaz are an English virtual band created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett in London, England in 1998. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (gu ...
, fictional bassist for the virtual band
Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett in London, England in 1998. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (gui ...
, was sent to the prison in the story surrounding the album ''
The Now Now ''The Now Now'' is the sixth studio album by the British virtual band Gorillaz, released on 29 June 2018 through Parlophone and Warner Bros. Records. Gorillaz co-creator and frontman Damon Albarn began writing and recording the album in late 2 ...
''. *
The Lucksmiths The Lucksmiths were an Australian indie pop band formed in March 1993 by Marty Donald on guitar, Mark Monnone on bass guitar and Tali White on drums and lead vocals. Louis Richter (ex-Mid State Orange) joined on guitar in 2005. They released ei ...
' "Train Robbers' Wives" opening verse is about a Scrubs inmate being visited by his wife.


References


External links

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Victorian London – prisons and penal system

George Blake escape

BBC News – Troubled history of the Scrubs
{{Prisons in London Government buildings completed in 1891
Wormwood Scrubs Wormwood Scrubs, known locally as The Scrubs (or simply Scrubs), is an open space in Old Oak Common located in the north-eastern corner of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London. It is the largest open space in the borough ...
Wormwood Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham White City Grade II listed prison buildings 1874 establishments in England
Wormwood Scrubs Wormwood Scrubs, known locally as The Scrubs (or simply Scrubs), is an open space in Old Oak Common located in the north-eastern corner of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London. It is the largest open space in the borough ...
World War II prisoner-of-war camps in England