"The Clink" was part of the former Bishop of Winchester's Palace of The Clink.  He was known to entertain young ladies of ill repute in his Palace and they were known by sarcastic Londoners as "The Bishop of Winchester's Geese"......

To get on the wrong side of the Bishop usually incurred a gaol sentence in the dungeons of the palace, when you could expect to be "thrown into Clink".

You can still see the ruins of the Palace of Winchester and the Clink Prison Museum tells the grisly story of this part of London's past. It is situated on Bankside, near to Southwark Cathedral and London Bridge station, on the south side of the River Thames.  

In Mediaeval and Tudor times the good worthies of the City of London sought their entertainment (in all its forms, from theatre performances to ladies of the night...) in this part of London, and Bankside became a byword for shady pleasures.

The narrow lanes and old buildings still evoke powerful sensations as you wander here - you can imagine Shakespeare and his friends the actors appearing around the next corner at any minute!

The Clink Prison Museum           
1 Clink Street
London
SE1 9DG
Tel:020 7403 0900
Website:http://www.clink.co.uk

Nearest Tube station: London Bridge