Refined and The Story of Newgate: London's Most Notorious Prison

For over 800 years, Newgate stood as the grimy axle around which British society slowly twisted. This historic prison served as the backdrop for the fates of legendary outlaws like Robin Hood and Captain Kidd, where renowned playwrights such as Ben Jonson and Christopher Marlowe sharpened their quills, and where flamboyant highwaymen like Claude Duval and James Maclaine captivated legions of women. While London's theaters rose and fell, the Newgate gaol endured as the city's unofficial stage, witnessing the unfolding of England's greatest dramas, from the Peasants' Revolt to the Great Fire.

By piecing together the lives of both forgotten figures and more famous individuals, from Dick Whittington to Charles Dickens, this thrilling history explores the ghostly place that Newgate has become, erased by time but still the inspiration for countless poems, plays, paintings, and novels – more than any other structure in British history.

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