On my first day at my new post, a gym teacher gave me a tour around school. I had a feeling he was undressing me with his eyes, but without physical contact I pushed my anxiousness aside. When we reached an abandoned section, he told me I needed to relax. He began massaging my shoulders and told me that I needed to work out, pointing to my behind. When he grabbed it, I turned and ran back to the main office.
Ever wondered where the expression “in the clink” came from? The answer can be found in this tucked-away museum along the Southbank, behind Borough Market. The Clink was an infamous prison that housed London’s heretics, lowlifes and unfortunate petty criminals between 1151 and 1780. It’s cramped and dingy interior was not a place you wanted to be. That has all changed now – yes, it’s still the same building and but this is now one of London’s very best little museums. Pay it a visit and be shocked and engaged throughout.
When you’re done in the Clink, cross the road to London Bridge station – just down Tooley Street you’ll find the atmospherically stinky London Dungeon. Better-known than the Clink, approach the Dungeon with the willingness to queue and mind trained towards the Addams Family. Inside the brick arches under the station is a mazy route of deliciously grotesque exhibits. It doesn’t seem to matter that you can suddenly jump from the Black Death to Sweeny Todd’s barber shop – it’s all in the name of gory cheesy fun. Best of all though is the combination of a boat ride down to the gallows at Tyburn, followed by an ingenious reimagining of swinging on the end of the hangman’s rope … we’ll say no more, get along there and find out for yourself!
