Kingston Penitentiary

Canada's most notorious prison, closed in 2013 and now open for tours

Kingston Penitentiary opened in 1835 and operated for 178 years, making it one of the oldest continuously operating prisons in the world at the time of its closure in September 2013. It is a massive limestone structure on the western waterfront, instantly recognisable by its towered gatehouse and forbidding perimeter wall. In its long history it survived two major riots (1954 and 1971), served as a maximum-security prison for some of Canada's most dangerous offenders, and became a kind of symbol for the entire Canadian corrections system.

Tours began in 2013 shortly after closure and are led by former guards and corrections officers, which makes them distinctive: you hear stories that would not make it into official accounts. The cellblocks, solitary confinement wing, and exercise yards are all accessible. It is a genuinely unsettling visit — the scale and the institutional grimness are both striking. Advance booking is recommended; the tours sell out.

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A story
Kingston Penitentiary held some of Canada's most infamous prisoners, including Paul Bernardo and Clifford Olson. Grace Marks, the real woman behind Margaret Atwood's novel Alias Grace, was also imprisoned here in the 19th century. The 1971 riot — a four-day uprising that left two inmates dead and much of the prison in ruins — became a turning point for prison reform in Canada.

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