King's Bench Prison

The King's Bench Prison once dominated this area as a notorious destination for debtors, though its history began long before it became a place of financial ruin. Established in the fourteenth century, the prison originated from two medieval houses known as the Crane and the Angel, which explains why the nearby lane is still called Angel Place. In those early years, it served the itinerant Court of King's Bench, often holding those accused of crimes ranging from treason to murder. It was a site of frequent unrest, repeatedly burned by rebels during uprisings in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. By the time it was demolished in the eighteenth century to make way for a larger facility, it had already solidified its reputation as a grim, high-walled enclosure where the fates of both common debtors and political figures were decided.