The average student budget in London is a mere £9,000 excluding tuitions. London, as we’re sure you’ll know, has a reputation for being an expensive place to live. If you know that money is likely to be a problem during your time at university, there are of course a number of avenues you can look into for help.
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!
