Clink Prison Museum

Just in time for Halloween, today we visited London's Clink Prison Museum. Dating back to 1144, this is the site of one of England's oldest prisons.  The actual prison was burned down in 1790.  Inside the museum visitors encounter several gruesome exhibits while listening to recordings of people screaming and moaning in pain.  In its day, the prison was for debtors, heretics, drunkards, harlots and religious adversaries. It was owned and managed by the Bishop of Winchester whose palace was located nearby. "The Clink" derives from the sound of rattling chains that the prisoners wore or perhaps the sound of the prison door being bolted.  It was a horrible place, worse than you can ever imagine.

The Heretic's Fork

Catholics and Protestants were both imprisoned
in Clink Prison, depending on the religion of the ruling monarch

The Scold's Bridle

"The Morning Star" Medieval Weapon

Manacles

Death Mask of Oliver Cromwell

Wall and window belonging to the 
Bishop of Winchester's Palace
dating from 12th century

Get me out of here!

Theatre Royal Drury Lane

We couldn't take photographs inside the performance space at Theatre Royal Drury Lane because there was a rehearsal of Disney's musical Frozen at the time of our tour. We were, however, able to view the theatre from the balcony, after its £60 million restoration.  Our guide meanwhile told us a lot of entertaining tales about the many thespians who performed on its stage, since the theatre first opened in the 1600s.  We also learned about the theatre's infamous ghosts, including the oft-seen "gray man" who melts into the walls. The present theatre building was built in 1812 and it is sensational!  Eddie saw Miss Saigon here, the theatre's longest running show, in 1990.

Drury Lane itself was made famous by a nursery rhyme. Do you know the Muffin Man who lives on Drury Lane?

Worn by Queen Elsa in Frozen

Statue of Shakespeare next to
British Shakespearean actor Edmund Keane (1787-1833)

David our guide regaling us with stories.
He was very funny and had everyone laughing the entire tour.

The Grand Saloon

Nell's pub on the other side of the road