Montague Close: a Southwark Sanctuary

Alsatia is a new historical blog dedicated to exploring the liberties and sanctuaries of London - areas which had some kind of legal autonomy up until the late 17th century and therefore offered some kind of refuge for debtors and others on the wrong side of the law.

There were several such areas in South London, one of which Alsatia has just covered: Montague Close, by what is now Southwark Cathedral.

The Southwark liberties are at the heart of local shamanic poet John Constable's Southwark Mysteries play cycle, performed in Southwark Cathedral in 2000. It has just been announced that a new production will be performed there next April - London SE1 has the full story.