I am Catholic so on one of historical rambles of London came across the convent just down the road from Marble Arch/Tyburn. I arrived just in time for eveningsong. Cloistered and therefore much hidden from the gallery these women had the voices of angels and in their simplistic a cappella song and plain dress could bring an atheist to tears in its beauty. This serendipitous was one of the most outstanding in my life and I highly recommend making a pilgrimage to hear heaven in the voices of the Benedictine Adorers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Montmartre. 8-9 Hyde Park Place.
Madam. I am a godless, flesh peddling atheist and I entirely agree. To guiltily slip within the sanctity of a church, cathedral, etc and listen to the organ, the voices, to gaze up and see the glorious, filtered light as it drifts upon the silent pillars, glittered with dust and touched with colours from the glass.... a pleasure unknown to most, but loved by me. May your God go before you. X
You treated this subject and the people you mentioned with such dignity and respect... it's not an easy thing to do, many get swept up in making it more grandiose or macabre. Excellent video.
Hi Katie, thankyou fot this lovely channel. I have an interesting story. Ive done a lot of meditation and notice that I would feel more centered and awake as I walked through small spots ie in Hyde Park or in this case very close to Bond Street Station. I did some research re that exact spot and learnt that it was the exact spot of the Tyburn river that used to provide fresh water to Westminster Abbey. And if you go down into the basement of the shop here you can still see the fresh water channel still running. I miss London :) Adam.
My new favourite channel! Can you do a show about the lost Castles of London? I read that there is a site that held a Castle from the 1200's that was demolished in the 1500's or 1600's. I heard that there might be 3 more sites? Know anything of this?
Just watched this with my morning coffee, perfect way to spend a few minutes, fascinating as always, great combination of old and new photos and video clips, thanks Katie
@@monkeytennis8861 Probably not, Great Fire of London in 1666 put paid to most of them I'd imagine. Some have been rebuilt in brick. In reality most of them were probably little more than wooden shacks.
Thanks Katie. Another great video. I used to work in Wapping and would often have lunch in the Prospect Of Whitby pub and see the recreated noose outside. Have you ever done a tour inside of the Tyburn Convent?
Cheers Ian, not a full tour, but when I was researching a blog a while back I wandered in just in time for a service so sat through it - magical experience right on the busy Bayswater Water to suddenly be transported!
Hi Katie! I'm loving watching your videos, very interesting and making me a bit homesick for London, I now live in Perth, Western Australia. I was just wondering if there are any records kept of who was executed and where? The reason I ask is that I am told through stories passed around between older members of my family that one of our descendants was "the last man to be hung at Tyburn" and that his crime was "piracy on the high seas". There are lots of stories of famous and infamous people in my family history, mostly crooks and some spies and music composers. I though it would be interesting to do a bit more digging to find out whether this is just another load of old rhubarb. Keep doing what you do, it's brilliant :)
Took me all of 10 seconds to debunk that claim unfortunately. Last person was John Austin, who was hanged (meat is hung, men are hanged) for murder. That was in 1783. Good story though
A number of other prisons were also used for more private executions once public spectacle was seen as no longer coherent with the original intent, dire warning. The Museum of London also has maps of numerous other executions near the scene of the crime.
Just watched your video on hanging sites around London, as with all the other videos, very informative. I noticed you sounded a bit hoarse, a gentle tip try a warm glass of honey and lemon before embarking. Love your work, Bryan.
I like gruesome history! Not sure if you’ve mentioned it before, but the spike on London Bridge comes to mind when I think of gruesome. Seems to be some uncertainty on what exactly it represents though. Thanks for these videos.
I haven’t on RU-vid but do have an old blog about it, sadly it’s not really connected to the heads on spikes (officially!) but still does make a good gruesome story. lookup.london/spike-on-london-bridge/
Glad you liked it! I'm not one for ghost stories but I do occasionally enjoy a bit of the more gory history, think everyone's morbidly fascinated on some level. It seems so unthinkable that all those people would go to watch, but I bet it would be the same now!
@@LookUpLondon I think it’s good not to forget history like this, however gruesome it may seem, people made a living from ending people living and it’s truly fascinating. There is a pub opposite the Old Bailey that uses old condemned cells as it cellars which I find so creepy but so interesting
@@TheFlossyWitch Very true, it's important to talk about the past - warts and all! Ah yes the 'Newgate Cells' in the Viaduct Tavern. Sadly a myth - they're not actually cells, sadly, but they are indeed creepy. Perhaps I should do a myth-busting episode!
The Georgian era spans the years from 1714 to 1837, covering the reigns of George I, II, III and IV, as well as that of William IV. It was an era of great social, political and cultural changes.
Just like to point out the 3 more modern sites in London. Holloway Prison, last used in July 1955, Pentonville, last used July 1961, and Wandsworth, last used September 1961. After 1868 all executions were conducted with prisons and the remains were buried within the prison.
You could also mention that when the criminals were hanged at Tyburn and if they were not hanged properly i.e: the neck didn't instantly snap clean, the bodies were seen to "dance" the Tyburn jig, meaning that the criminals were slowly strangled to death and were therefore thrashing about until the end drew near.
Great presentation. I wonder if Jacobites were executed in London, apart from Mel Gibson. Or was it prison hulks in Northumberland that the condemned were held before execution. Lots of people on here that may help.
My direct ancestor Henry Howard the earl of Surrey was executed I believe on Tower Hill. He was brutally executed too, I think he was drawn and quartered
I don’t understand. The Crown used “pirates” to help defeat the Spanish especially in the Caribbean. Pirates were usually condemned criminals and given one chance to redeem themselves in service of the crown, but when they got drunk and reverted back to their hellraising ways, they were condemn to death as common criminals. Strange juxtaposition. Ps the first governor of Jamaica was Henry Morgan a notorious former pirate.
The Old Kent Road was also an execution site. My better namesake Saint John Jones a priest was hanged on the Old Kent Road. The executioner brought the wrong rope so he had to go home to fetch the right rope. Fr John Jones used this opportunity to give one last sermon to the assembled crowd. There was such a murmuring from the crows that the powers that be decided that there would be no more public hangings of Catholic priests.
