The time I spent a night behind bars (at The Clink 78 Hostel)
I can’t remember the last time I faced the prospect of being in London alone. At night. A boyfriend and a number of city-slicking friends have always been obstacles between me and the big smoke. But yesterday I found myself wandering its streets alone, with only one destination in mind.
My prison cell.
Let me explain. I haven’t been arrested for grand theft auto or indecent exposure or anything fruity like that. I was kindly invited to spend a night at
– a hostel which used to be a 200 year old courthouse, and which still counts authentic prison cells among its room options. I was intrigued to see how they’d made the most of the Victorian architecture and could just imagine the quirky (instagrammable) details which would be packed within.
Clink 78 is situated just ten minutes’ walk from King’s Cross, St. Pancras station and the tube, so is easy for those who have just arrived in the city. It’s therefore pretty central and is surrounded by plenty of places to eat.
I walked into the spacious, breezy reception and was greeted straight away by a Spanish gentleman who complemented me on my hat. Good start. He explained that I’d be staying in one of the traditional prison cells. He offered to show me around the hostel and offered to change my prison cell room for a standard private one if I found it too claustrophobic.
“No thanks”, I told him. “I’m in this for real”.
Bolted prison door swinging shut behind me and automatically locking, I’ll admit I did momentarily question my decision. I've been watching a lot of Orange is the New Black. But after a quick look around, to my relief, I didn’t feel claustrophobic at all. Yes, the prison cells are small but there’s a comfy bunk bed, mirror, place to store all your stuff – and more than enough room for one or two people. Oh, and there’s also a basic toilet from Victorian times- but don’t use it! It’s just for show these days. Feeling moderately reassured, I headed out explore the rest of the hostel.
There are two main communal areas, the wifi lounge and the TV dock. Both are old courtrooms, and have kept all of their original features like the witness and jury stands. Both, as you might guess, have wifi (tell reception how many devices you have with you and they’ll provide you with codes), and are nice and chilled places to catch up on emails, plan your day or just watch Netflix. There were plenty of people sleeping and chatting too. I don’t know if the courtroom setting made an impression on people as these rooms had a pretty quiet and not subdued, just reserved, feel – although I was there on a Friday night so maybe everyone else was just way cooler than me and out and about.
Downstairs there’s also a communal kitchen and eating area, where you can store and cook your food. There’s also the Clash Bar, which had a really nice and relaxed feel to it. They sell cheap drinks here into the early hours, and there’s a pool table too if you fancy testing your skills.
Despite the hostel being really busy and it being a Friday night, I at no point felt it was rowdy or too loud, even though the prison cells are located pretty centrally in the hostel. This is a very good thing – there’s nothing that keeps you awake at night more than the sound of drunk people just outside your room, worrying one might stumble in. The Clink felt safe, there were a wide range of age groups around, not just young people, and there’s security on the door 24/7. Sure enough, whatever preconceptions I’d had beforehand about spending the night in a prison cell, I slept like a baby.
The next morning I woke early, lured by the idea of a free breakfast. Oh, did I not mention? Yeah, you get free breakfast with the price of your room. Admittedly, it’s not one of those gloriously opulent continental buffets you sometimes get at fancy hotels, but hey – I’m not going to turn my nose up at free tea, coffee, toast, cereal and fruit. Just make sure you get there between 7am and 10am.
Have you ever stayed at Clink 78? What did you think? Would staying in a real prison cell bother you?
