Clink, clank: The prison

By Laurel

A few days ago we went to Clink prison (see Cruel Brits), which was supremely cool. Erm.... not in Mom's opinion, but it was really well presented. You paid, walked through a self-opening door (I swear it was automatic, but it made you think like there was ghosts), and entered Clink prison, now a museum. It took you through a timeline, because when you entered, there was an exhibit on what would happen when you first came to the Clink. Clink Prison got its name from the clinking sound the echoing hammer would make on your chains. Oooooooooooooooo..........

I learned about dreadful tortures... one was being "squashed". You were put underneath a board, and then the prison keepers would put weights on the board until you suffocated. To help, your friends would jump on the board to make you die quicker. That would save you hours of torture. You might have been "Left in a hole", which has a very accurate name. The keepers would shove you under a trapdoor and forget about you. The worst part was that the River Thames would flood the room at high tide. After a few days, the flesh would be so soggy it would just fall from the bones.

We eventually finished, and came to this souvenir shop at the end. You got to take your photo in a cell, and read about famous prisoners. Mom's finishing exclaimation: "I think that will give me nightmares!"