Executions

Public executions were a major part of Londoners’ lives for centuries. From Smithfield to Southwark, from Banqueting House to Newgate Prison, executions became embedded in London’s landscape from the 12th century right through to the 19th. Even today, hints of this uncomfortable past can still be seen across the capital.

From October, the Museum of London is bringing the rarely told and often tragic human stories behind these events to a new exhibition. Executions will showcase a range of fascinating objects, paintings and projections, including the vest said to have been worn by King Charles I when he was executed, a recreation of the Tyburn gallows with an immersive projection, last letters of the condemned, and much more. Many of the items going on display have rarely been seen in public.

This is your chance to discover how, over nearly 700 years, public executions came to shape the city we know today.