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The Clink was the popular name
for the prison attached to Winchester House, the palace of
the Bishops of Winchester from the 12th century until 1626. Protestant
and Catholic prisoners of conscience were held here during
the 16th century.
The surrounding area, known as
'The Liberty of the Clink' was under the jurisdiction of the
bishop rather than the City of London. This was London's
red-light district, but instead of condeming prostitution
the bishops licenced the brothels and regulated their opening
hours.
The notorious prison held misbehaving
actors, prostitutes and drunks, dragged from the taverns,
theatres and brothels of Bankside.
One of five prisons in Southwark,
the Clink was the first in which women were detained.
The Clink stood here until its destruction during the Gordon
Riots of 1780. However, its name lives on in the expression
'in the clink', meaning in prison.
The site of the prison is in
one of the most dismal Dickensian streets in the area.
The Clink Exhibition with its reconstructed cells, charts
the history of the prison, with displays illustrating Southwark's
colourful past, including the history of prostitution.
Next door are the remnants of
Winchester House, but little remains except the rose window
of the Great Hall.
Admission charge
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