Alsatia, Medieval sanctuary district in Whitefriars, London, England.
Alsatia is a historic district in London's Whitefriars area, occupying the former grounds of a Carmelite monastery between Fleet Street and the Thames. A medieval vaulted cellar from the original monastery survives beneath Magpie Alley, near 65 Fleet Street.
After the dissolution of the monasteries in 1538, the former Carmelite grounds became a sanctuary zone where people could avoid arrest. This legal immunity lasted until 1697, when Parliament finally abolished it.
The name Alsatia comes from a 1688 play by Thomas Shadwell, who compared this lawless London district to the disputed Alsace region on the border of France and Germany. Today, the narrow Magpie Alley still gives a sense of how tucked away and separate this corner of the city once felt.
The medieval cellar is reached through Magpie Alley, a narrow passage just off Fleet Street in central London. The underground space has uneven floors and low ceilings, so comfortable footwear and some caution are helpful.
At its peak, Alsatia sheltered so many people fleeing debt or prosecution that it functioned almost like a small town within the city, with its own informal rules. These rules were not imposed from outside but grew out of daily necessity among the people who lived there.
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