Darkside London: Death, Fire and Executions

Somebody once said if “you aren’t in Love with London, you aren’t in love with life.” A place of hopes and dreams, but also a place of death and betrayal. When you first arrive, most people tend to have Buckingham Palace at the top of their list, but London is so much more!

It has stunning architecture, an unforgettable history and some of the best stories in the world tied to its locations. By booking on a tour, you can experience the highs and lows the city. 

Start your tour from the cobbled courtyard, which is one of the gruesomely titled locations and commemorates the murder of society’s beauty. Then, find your way towards the oldest house which survived the Great Fire of London. Imagine what the housing system was like before 1666!

Walk along Cock Lane, a street that takes its name after Brothels occupied the street in past centuries. You then arrive at a church where you see the notorious execution bell, which rung 12 times to the condemned on the morning of their execution. If you are getting thirsty, don’t worry! Dirty Dicks is next on the agenda and of course its named after a dirty man with bad habits. 

After a rest bite, you can see where bodies of the dead dogs were found before you come to the Cornhill Devils, three terracotta figures, an unusual example of the long lasting revenge to church officials. Follow your Guide to see small statue of two mice, which hides the tragic story about two men behind it. Continuing towards the grave, you see the grave of the woman who brought plague to London in 1665 and the water pump causing its epidemic. Killing over 100,000 Londoners, the water contained human remains after being seeped into the stream from cemeteries. It’s not for the faint-hearted.

To end it all, you finish your tour by the Dock, which was used for over 400 years to execute criminals found guilty of crimes at sea. Provoking the mind, you get to share the experience with others, hear stories of tragic deaths and get a taste of what London has to offer!