Honest Clink Prison Museum in London Review (2024)

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With a spooky entrance near London Bridge, complete with a skeleton hanging overhead, London’s Clink Prison museum is a treasure trove (if you can call it that) of London’s torture history!

In this Clink Prison Museum review, we’re going deep into the heart of the namesake for the nicknames for prisons and learning all about whether the Clink Prison Museum is worth your money and time.

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The Clink Prison Museum London Bridge Exterior with a hanging skeleton in a cage
A skeleton in a cage hanging outside the Clink Prison Museum

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When comparing the Clink Prison Museum vs the London Dungeons, I prefer the Clink Prison Museum to the London Dungeons because the Clink Prison Museum has some actual history to see.

For me, it’s important to go to the actual historic places and get a feel for what London was really like back in the day.

When you enter the Clink Prison Museum, you’ll pay your toll at the kiosk, manned by a prison guard, and once he or she is happy your debt is settled, you’ll be let into a gate that takes you into the museum.

Clink Prison Museum entrance with people buying tickets

We had to wait just a couple of minutes for the people in front of us to clear as they were having trouble with their card, but they got us in as fast as possible.

There are no time slots like at the Churchill War Rooms.

As you tour the rooms, you’ve got a number of different things to check-out: written plaques on the wall telling the stories of the people that were held in the Clink Prison, interactive torture devices (okay this sounds horrible, but really it’s all safe), as well as some spooky looking figures to help add a visual element to your time in the museum.

Clink Prison Museum displays

This is a self-guided experience, and one thing you should know as part of this Clink Prison Museum review is that this is not a “scare” fest.

People aren’t going to jump out at you.

The horror of what happened down here and how past Londoners used to treat prisoners is fully on display to scare you without someone jumping out at you from behind a wall.

Clink Prison Museum model of man at desk

Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for some friendly rat figurines everywhere.

This place would have been infested with them, and in one of the rooms, you’ll learn about what happened when the waters of the Thames rose and left prisoners practically swimming about in rat-happy sewage.

Yum.

A torture chair at The Clink Prison Museum in London Bridge

Another fun fact is that the Clink Prison Museum in London is built on the site of the Clink, which dates back to 1144, and there is a section of the museum where you can see parts of the original structure.

One of the most interesting things about the Clink Prison Museum is its dedication to helping explain the stories of the people here.

In addition to debtors (a popular way of landing yourself in prison in those times), you’ll also explore London’s religious and political history as you see who, exactly, they locked up.

From religious fanatics to trespassers to people accused of assault or worse, there were many things that could land you in the Clink and make sure that your days were spent begging for food and wandering around in your own filth.

Decapitated heads on poles at The Clink Museum in London Bridge
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If you’re coming to London, you’ll also appreciate some of our other London guides, including…

x The Ultimate London Packing List for All Seasons
x London’s Most Iconic Attractions to Add to Your Bucketlist
x A Dummy’s Guide to Getting Around London

Each room has a different theme and walks you through a different period in the Clink Prison’s history, and finally you end up in the small gift shop area, complete with a space to have your photo taken (because this is a London tourist attraction, of course!).

Man with hand in coffin at Clink Prison Museum, London
Photo of Kalyn and Guy at the Clink Prison Museum

There’s also an interactive quiz for both adults and kids to test your knowledge of what you’ve learned in the Clink and see if you can answer all the trivia question correctly – see, a little bit of learning on vacation isn’t all that bad!

Clink Prison Museum Cost

The Clink Prison Museum is £8.00 for adults and £6.00 for children, with discounts for families and students and seniors.

You can purchase tickets online in advance, or you can simply walk up and buy your entrance there.

I think, for the price, this museum is worth it if you haven’t done anything similar before.

While it isn’t a huge museum, there is enough to see to make it worth the entry fee and I don’t have a problem recommending it for the price.

Model of woman standing next to information board at Clink Prison Museum, London

Clink Prison Museum for Kids

Kids in London are more than welcome in the Clink Prison Museum.

As mentioned, this isn’t a scare experience where you’re going to need to worry about people jumping out at you from behind walls.

It is, of course, creepy in a way that going through a prison museum can be, and some of the figurines and torture devices are very gory, but not inherently “scary” unless a child is especially fearful.

A model of a person in a jail cell at The Clink prison Museum London Bridge

The lighting in the Clink Prison Museum is lit enough so that you can see where you are going and read all of the information on the walls.

It is not like a catacombs attraction where most of the lights are off.

I would make sure to keep an eye on the kids when it comes down to interacting with the “torture” equipment and other interactive displays.

Beheading display at Clink Prison Museum, London

They won’t necessarily hurt your kids if they are interacting with it properly, but for instance there’s a section where there is quite a heavy blacksmith tool that you can practice swinging that could land on a finger and other parts of large metal ball and chains on the floor that could be easily tripped over if you’ve got kids that aren’t super aware of what they’re doing.

People looking at displays inside the Clink Prison Museum, London

How to Buy Tickets to the Clink Prison Museum

As mentioned, you can buy tickets to the Clink Prison museum online here, or show up on the day and purchase them at the gate.

How to Get to the Clink Prison Museum

To get the Clink Prison Museum, I would suggest going to London Bridge Station and walking the 7-8 minutes to the museum.

How Long for the Clink Prison Museum?

It took us about 45 minutes to an hour to make our way around the entire museum.

Leave yourself an hour and a half to buffer your time and make sure you’re not having to dash off anywhere and you’ll be all set.

What else should I not miss in London?

If you’re visiting London soon, here’s a very brief rundown of a few of my other favorites to make sure you don’t miss anything!

UK Travel Planning Guide: the FAQs

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🚗 What do I need to drive in the UK?

The first thing you need to check out if you’re planning on renting a car in the UK is this guide to driving in the UK for visitors – the roads, signs, and driving experience will likely not be what you’re used to and it’s essential to prepare yourself to stay safe and aware.

🛌 What’s the best way to book hotels in the UK?

For UK hotels, Booking is the best site as it offers free cancellation on many properties. If you want an apartment, I always recommend VRBO over AirBnb.

📳 Will my phone work in the UK?

Yes – if you set it up right. Check out my guide on making your foreign phone work in the UK to ensure that you get the type of service you need.

🚿 Can I drink the water in the UK?

Yes, UK water is great and perfectly safe. But drink out of taps in any kitchen or use water fountains. Double check before drinking out of the taps in hotel bathrooms, though, as they may be on a different system. London water is safe to drink.

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