The Clink Prison

The Clink Prison was attached to Winchester House Palace and was the home of the Bishops of Winchester from the 12th century until 1626.

The museum is on a tiny cobbled street on Southbank close to the Globe Theatre and Borough Market. This was a notorious 'red light' district full of taverns, brothels and Bear baiting. The Globe Theatre was close to the prison and Shakespeare visited a friend there.

the clink prison london Since the 15th century the prison was owned by the Bishops of Winchester and the area was known as 'The Liberty of the Clink'.

Until 1780 it was used as a prison for crimes ranging from debt, practicing the wrong faith, theft, prostitution and murder.

When Mary 1 came to the throne in 1553 she used the prison to incarcerate Protestants. If they didn't starve to death they were later executed. Elizabeth 1 practiced the same religious persecution but this time it was the turn of the Catholics and Protestant Puritans.

The name of the prison is said to have derived from the sound of the chains clinking which bound the prisoners to the walls and which were fitted to prevent sleeping.

Other horrendous tortures included forcing prisoners to stand in water until their feet rotted, the rack and breaking on the wheel. On the orders of Henry V111 women who murdered their husbands were boiled in oil.

the clink

As you near the entrance to the prison you are met with the sound of Gregorian chanting. You peer into the darkness and you can see an image of a waxwork prisoner bound and suspended in the air. He moans and sends a shiver down your spine.

Address: 1 Clink Street, London SE1 9DG
Tel: 020 7403 0900
Tube: London Bridge
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat & Sun, 10am-9pm
Admission Adult £5 - Children (under16) £3.50 - Senior Citizens (over 60) £3.50
Student (need I.D.) £3.50 - Family £12.00 (2 adults, 2 children)