The London Borough of Southwark is south of the river Thames and just across from the City of London but its location outside of the old City meant that regulations were far more relaxed.  

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Londoners indulged here in pastimes that were forbidden within the City walls, including gambling, prostitution and bear-baiting. Literary icons such as Charles Dickens and Geoffrey Chaucer had connections to this notorious part of London and William Shakespeare’s Rose and Globe theatres flourished here.  

We will learn what gave Southwark the ‘fun’ factor for Londoners, and how their pursuits of amusements inevitably led to crime and punishment. This will lead us to the sites of old centres of detention including Marshalsea Debtor’s Prison and the original ‘Clink’ prison.