Crime, Death and (a little) Debauchery

London has long been a centre of world finance and business, it is still, probably, the richest district on the planet. Great riches tend to attract great crime. London was also the crime capital of Europe as well as the execution capital of Europe.

Travellers to London could not help but see gibbeted felons on the roadside, or riverside, and depending on wind direction the smell of decaying bodies. Londoners were not only governed by ‘King’s’ law, they also had to content with Church law, City law and Guild law. The whipping posts, stocks and cages mentioned by Taylor were put to good use.

This lecture will take you on a short, but varied journey through London’s criminal past. The crimes, the punishments, the prisons and some of the people.

Peter Zymanczyk served 31 years in London Fire Brigade as an operational officer. On retirement he worked nearly 12 years for Network Rail on railway infrastructure projects in Kent and Sussex. During this time, he trained as a City of London Guide as a way of keeping both mentally and physically agile. He is now part of the team training would-be City of London Guides, specialising in architecture. His walking tours in the City cover a range of topics including; Crime, Fire, Architecture, Fleet Street, Women in the City, Finance, Insurance and the riverside.