Published: 20th March 2015
As cities go, London is not adverse to the gruesome and gory. Terrifying attractions within the M25 include the London Dungeon, the London Tombs, the Clink, the Tower of London and countless Jack the Ripper walks.
However from October there will be a new exhibition at the Museum of London which will lift the lid on the macabre criminal history of London. It is set to be so scary and gruesome, it will make the London Dungeon feel like CBeebies Land at Alton Towers.
The artefacts come from Scotland Yard’s Black Museum, which used to be used to educate young police officers in the late 19th Century. The museum, which is also known as the Museum of Scotland Yard, has been shrouded in mystery ever since as it is only open to members of the Met and invited guests, making the announcement of this new exhibition even more exciting. Secrets of London’s murky past will be revealed for the first time ever.
Shrapnel from an unexploded bomb and possessions of Great Train robber, Ronnie Biggs will be included in the exhibition. Visitors will be able to learn about some of the most high profile and notorious criminal cases investigated by the Metropolitan Police.
This exhibition will be a must-see for anyone fascinated by London’s dark criminal past. Let us know if you are looking forward to visiting the Museum of London this Autumn, or if this sounds like your worst nightmare.
We’d also love to hear if you have ever been inside the exclusive Black Museum.
I visited the Black Museum in 1976. I suspect it’s developed a bit since then, but at the time I was always told stories of horrific artefacts people fainting at exhibits. I wasn’t so horrified, but I do remember a pair of opera glasses which had spikes which shot out on springs in your eyes when you looked through them and cranial models from when they thought the shape of the head determined criminal behaviour.
I’ll be interested to see what makes it into the Museum of London exhibition.