A Review of the Clink Prison Museum in London

According to the hilarious Web site, urbandictionary.com, the expression "go medieval" implies that one takes punishment to the extreme. My husband Bill and I got to see examples of how prisoners were treated during medieval times in London, England when we paid a visit to The Clink Prison Museum.

I first heard of The Clink Prison Museum when I watched Samantha Brown's Passport to Europe television program on the Travel Channel. She visited London and toured Vinopolis, an excellent booze tourism exhibit in the Southbank area of London near London Bridge Station. Before she entered Vinopolis, Samantha Brown joked about how ironic it was that right next door was The Clink Prison Museum. Though Ms. Brown apparently didn't visit "The Clink"-- or at least she didn't talk about it on her show-- I was intrigued by it. So after Bill and I spent a few hours tasting different boozes at Vinopolis, we staggered next door to take a look at a most fascinating exhibit.

The History of "The Clink"

Over the years, Britain's prison system has become downright civilized, especially when it's compared to the way it was back in the 12th century. Walk into The Clink Prison Museum and you'll find yourself gazing at examples of the extreme punishments hapless prisoners had to endure in a much less enlightened time. According to a flyer I picked up during my visit, The Clink's inmates included a vast assortment of people-- everyone from priests to prostitutes.

The Clink Prison Museum is in the bottom of an old warehouse on the site of the original "Clink" prison, which was known by that name from the 15th century. "The Clink" was in operation from 1144 until its destruction in 1780. It was owned by successive Bishops of Winchester. The Bishop governed an area of about 80 acres known as The Liberty of the Clink. The area included a number of seedy establishments and was sort of the "red light district" of its day, with plenty of taverns, inns, theaters, and Bull and Bear baiting.

Though the Clink dates back to 1144, it housed only male prisoners until 1246. And those who were unfortunate enough to be incarcerated at The Clink did their time in most excruciating discomfort. Walk into the dark, eerie looking museum, and you'll see examples of old prison cells and the brutal torture and restraining devices that prisoners, who were doing time for everything from public drunkenness to religious disobedience, had to endure. Worse yet, these poor souls actually had to pay for the "privilege" of being incarcerated under extremely unpleasant, filthy conditions.

What can you see at "The Clink"?

The museum is not very large and doesn't take much time to see, but what you do see is pretty fascinating. The exhibits are mostly "hands on"; you can pick up many of the heavy locks, balls and chains, torture devices, and collars that prisoners were forced to wear. I gasped in amazement as I checked out some of the cruel inventions dreamed up by the wardens of the day.

One example of a device exhibited at the museum is the scold's bridle, which was basically a muzzle created to correct loud mouthed women who didn't "know their place". The iron bridle was fitted over a nagging or gossiping woman's head and locked in place. A spiked plate was inserted in the woman's mouth and rested on her tongue. If she didn't speak, there wasn't as much discomfort.

Another device on display is the torture boot. This heavy metal boot was designed to be chained to a prisoner's foot and leg. The boot would then be filled with boiling water and placed over a fire. As the boot quickly heated up, it would burn the prisoner's leg, causing significant injuries or fainting.

The Clink Prison Museum also has a ducking stool on display. This stool was chiefly used to punish nagging women through humiliation, though it was also used to correct men. Prisoners were forced to sit on the chair outside their homes where they would be taunted and harassed by passing citizens.

Visitors can also take note of the grating at street level. The grating provided much needed ventilation to the prison, but also offered some starving, indigent prisoners the chance to beg for bread or alms from people passing by. Bear in mind that there was no toilet for the prisoners, so whatever fresh air came through those grates was certainly appreciated. There was also no medical care and jailers were poorly paid, which caused them to supplement their wages by extorting money from prisoners. Perhaps those prisoners who were lucky enough to be situated by the grates had managed to bribe jailers for the privilege.

Good for families?

I think The Clink Prison Museum is a great place to take older children, say aged 12 and up, since the exhibits are fascinating, hands on, and based on history. I would hesitate to take younger children because, honestly, I think some of the torture and restraining devices might give them nightmares. Of course, children are individuals and not all of them will react in the same way. But I do think parents should exercise caution before taking younger kids to this exhibit.

Hours

The Clink Prison Museum is open seven days a week. From July to September, its operating hours are from 10:00am until 10:00pm. From October to June, it's open Monday through Friday from 10:00am until 6:00pm. On weekends, it's open from 10:00am until 7:30pm. It is closed on Christmas Day.

Ticket prices (taken from the museum's official Web site)

Adults £6.00 Children (under 16) £5.50 Concession - Students,OAP,Disabled, (I.D required) £5.50 Family (2 adults & 2 children under 16) £15.00
All prices include a themed photo of your visit available to download online after your visit.

The museum is located at 1 Clink Street, Bankside in London.

Telephone number: 44 (0) 20 7403 0900

Sources

www.clink.co.uk
www.visitlondon.com
www.medievality.com

Samantha Brown's Passport To Europe

Personal experience