Bridewell Palace, London, was originally a residence of Henry VIII, and later became a poorhouse and prison. Similar institutions throughout England, Ireland, and Canada also borrowed the name Bridewell. Nowadays, the term frequently refers to a city’s main detention facility, usually in close proximity to a courthouse, as in Nottingham, Leeds, Gloucester, Bristol, Dublin and [...]
Categories: London, Places of interest, prison
Newgate Prison was a prison in London, at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey just inside the City of London. Freethinker writer Peter Annet was sentenced to Newgate prison for one month for blasphemous remarks on the five books of Moses. He was also sentenced to be put in the pillories at Charing [...]
Categories: London, Places of interest, prison
Her Majesty’s Royal Fortress and Tower or the Tower of London as it is most commonly known, is a dominating and impressive castle in the heart of London. With a long history, it has held many prisoners including Charles Bradlaugh. Bradlaugh’s request to affirm the MP’s oath was rejected by Parliament and he was sent to [...]
Categories: London, Places by region, Places of interest, prison
Her Majesty’s Prison (HMP) Brixton is a prison in London, built in 1819. Bertrand Russell was imprisoned here in 1961 for his part in a Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament demonstration in London. Visiting The prison is still in use and so not open to the general public. Also see… Brixton Prison on Wikipedia Her Majesty’s [...]
Categories: ideas and activism, London, Places of interest, prison
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons. A number of prominent humanists and secularists have sat in each houses. One of them – Charles Bradlaugh – was [...]
Categories: ideas and activism, living and working, London, Places of interest, prison
Atheist Charles Southwell was imprisoned in Bristol Gaol for blasphemous libel in 1842. Southwell had a written an article in his periodical, the Oracle of Reason, criticising the Bible. For this he was sentenced to a year in Bristol Gaol and fined £100, an enormous sum. He served the full sentence and was released on [...]
Categories: ideas and activism, Places of interest, prison, South West
