French Chamber of Deputies uncovers secret 'prison' cell

A small cell thought to have been used to detain unco-operative guests has been uncovered entombed in the walls of the National Assembly, the French Lower House, in Paris.   

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The pokey room, measuring no more than a few square feet, had been walled over for more than a century and was only brought to the light of day during renovation on a narrow staircase next to the Chamber of Deputies.

The French historian Bruno Fuligni said he had no idea of its existence and deputies have already dubbed it the “sobering-up cell”.

It is thought that it has not been used since the end of the 18th century when Léon Gambetta locked away the Royalist deputy Armand Léon de Baudry d’Asson.