New Prison

The site you are approaching was once known as the New Prison, a place that anchored the grittier history of Clerkenwell for over two centuries. Established around 1617, it was designed specifically to hold prisoners awaiting trial who could no longer fit into the overflowing cells of Newgate. It functioned as a transit point for the justice system, standing as a quiet neighbor to the local sessions house where many of its inhabitants would soon face judgment.