If it's a day out with a difference you're after when it comes to things to do in London with kids, then Clink Prison Museum is exactly the kinda gruesomely good adventure you're after. Read on for the full gory lowdown and our review on one of the best museums in London when it comes to hands-on, historic family fun!
A little bit of history
Dating back to 1144 (yes, kids, even before we were born), The Clink Prison Museum is one of England’s oldest and most notorious prisons. Found nestled in the heart of one of our fave pockets of town, Southwark, and built on its original site, this is the spot to find out the scandalous truth of Old Bankside through a hands-on educational experience. View archaeological artefacts, experience the sights, sounds and smells of the prison, handle and get up close to torture devices, and find out all the tales of torment and misfortune that were faced over the years by the the inmates of the infamous Clink Prison.
What we loved about the Clink Prison Museum
Aside from the super realistic figures of some of the Clink's former residents, our kids (age 10 and 15 years) were gripped by the gruesome deets of some of the torture methods used in London in former years thanks to cool interactive displays, but I think 10-year-old Rafferty sums it up perfectly:
"I liked learning about the old days because there was history in there that school would never teach us because they won't tell us about rat torture and other gross things. I also liked being put in the torture chair * and it was interesting reading about the awful things people did to each other like cutting off heads. I am glad it's not like that today."
* Disclaimer: he wasn't actually tortured and neither was any other guest!
The Clink Prison Museum lowdown
Where: 1 Clink Street, London SE1 9DG (nearest station: London Bridge)
Opening hours: 10am-6pm daily
Cost: From £6.60 per person
Duration: Around an hour
Please note that the Clink Prison Museum is does not have suitable access for wheelchairs or pushchairs.
* Tickets were gifted to London for Kidz for the purposes of this guide.
Top image: London for Kidz
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