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The Clink Prison Review

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The Clink Prison

Address: 1 Clink St., South Bank, London, SE1 9DG | Map It
Phone: 020/7403-0900
www.clink.co.uk

Category: Museums/Galleries
Location: South Bank

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Fodor's Review:

Giving rise to the term clink, or jail, this institution was originally the prison attached to Winchester House, palace of the Bishops of Winchester until 1626. One of five Southwark establishments, it was the first to detain women, most of whom were called "Winchester geese"—a euphemism for prostitutes. They were endemic in Southwark, especially around the bishops' area of jurisdiction, which was known as "the Liberty of the Clink" because their graces' solution was to license prostitution rather than ban it. You'll discover, in graphic detail, how a grisly Tudor prison would operate on a code of cruelty, deprivation, and corruption.

Cost: £5
Open: Weekdays 10-6, weekends 10-9; last admission 1 hr before closing
Tube: London Bridge

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