Now, a decade after it was mothballed by the Ministry of Justice, the former HMP Reading has finally been sold to a non-profit educational foundation for £7m, the government has confirmed.
Details are limited about the buyer, Ziran Education Foundation, or its plans for the prime town centre site.
The organisation's founder and director, Bi Channing, is a Chinese-born businessman who is now resident in Ireland.
The MoJ said the foundation's initial proposals included plans for "an educational centre providing services to the local community, including a museum outlining the history of the prison and an exhibition space accessible to the public".
Reading Borough Council had submitted its own bid for the complex, backed by local MPs and campaigners, hoping to develop it into an accessible cultural and artistic hub.
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