A Game of Thrones star has backed calls to turn Reading Prison into an arts and culture centre.
Natalie Dormer, who played Margaery Tyrell in the HBO fantasy series, has joined the call for the prison to be turned into an arts centre after a multi-million pound sale collapsed last month.
The 38-year-old, from Reading, said: “I so hope that Reading Gaol can achieve its huge potential as a thriving arts & culture centre.
“The historic significance of the building with its Victorian architecture, its association with the brilliant Oscar Wilde and indeed its site location upon the rich, textured history of the medieval Reading Abbey is of great local and national interest.
“It deserves to be protected and supported as a venue for thriving community spirit, education and creative ideas. A massive opportunity to create a cultural gem for Reading.”
The actress is the latest high-profile star to back the scheme.
Earlier this week BerkshireLive on how Dame Judi Dench had backed the campaign.
The James Bond actress said: “It is vitally important that Reading Gaol, a place of such culture, be used in a way that pays tribute to its artistic history. Namely, to become a cultural and artistic centre.
“It would be a great gift not only to Reading as a town and growing population centre of the South, but also to the UK and the world as a whole.
“The idea of plays being performed, people learning and enjoying themselves, and a community coming together in a space that represented so much sadness and inspiration for Oscar Wilde himself is a beautiful one.”
