Bridewell Prison rebuilt after the Great Fire of London
Illustration from Old & New London published circa 1876. Info from wiki: Bridewell Palace in London was built as a residence of King Henry VIII and was one of his homes early in his reign for eight years. Given to the City of London Corporation by his son King Edward VI for use as an orphanage and place of correction for wayward women, Bridewell later became the first prison/poorhouse to have an appointed doctor. It was built on the banks of the Fleet River in the City of London between Fleet Street and the River Thames in an area today known as 'Bridewell Court' off New Bridge Street. By 1556 part of it had become a jail known as Bridewell Prison. It was reinvented with lodgings and was closed in 1855 and the buildings demolished in 1863–1864. Most of the palace was destroyed in the Great Fire of London, and rebuilt in 1666–1667. In the late 17th century, the infamous London brothel keeper Elizabeth Cresswell was incarcerated in Bridewell Prison. and legend says that in her will she left £10 for a sermon to be read that said nothing ill of her. A young clergyman was found who would perform the funeral rites. After a lengthy sermon on social morality, he said "By the will of the deceased it is expected that I should mention her and say nothing but what was well of her. All I shall say of her, therefore, is this — she was born well, lived well, and died well; for she was born with the name of Cresswell, lived at Clerkenwell, and died in Bridewell.
Size: 5012px × 3336px
Location: London, England
Photo credit: © Historical Images Archive / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 19th, appoint, bridewell, brothel, burial, century, cresswell, doctor, elizabeth, england, engraved, engraving, era, fire, great, henry, illustration, infamous, keeper, london, nineteenth, palace, prison, rebuilt, site, victorian, viii
