TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

THE STORY OF SWEENEY TODD

The tale of Sweeney Todd, a barber who murdered and then cooked his victims into pies during the late 1700s, is one of the most macabre and sinister to have ever come out of London.

The Spooky Story

The tale of Sweeney Todd, a barber who murdered and then cooked his victims into pies during the late 1700s, is one of the most macabre and sinister to have ever come out of London.

Accounts of this ghoulish story have been told since at least the mid 1800s, and audiences today have been introduced to the sinister barber through a popular musical, and more recently, a movie starring Johnny Depp.

Though dismissed as a fictional story for many years, researchers today have turned up evidence that this gruesome serial killer was, in fact, a real barber who is believed to have murdered about 160 victims, before rendering them into pies.

The real Sweeney Todd’s barber shop was located on Fleet Street, next to St. Dunstan Church, which was — conveniently for the barber — built over a series of tunnels, some of which contained burial vaults. The brilliant but sick barber had equipped his shop with a chair that was set over a trap door. If the barber released a lever and his customer leaned back in the barber chair, it would rotate, pitching the victim into the basement below and revolving another chair upwards in place of the one that had just disappeared.

Some victims died from the fall. Todd would cut the throat of others. All would end up being stripped of their valuables, clothes and inevitably their flesh. Todd’s woman accomplice, Ms. Lovett, would then cook the flesh into pies, which she sold in her shop to the public, and the bones of the victims would be scattered throughout the tunnels.

Sweeney Todd was finally caught when the smell from the decomposing remains left under the St. Dunstan church got so bad that parishioners could no longer stand it and an investigation was conducted. Todd was eventually caught, tried and hung for the murders.

A wax figure of Sweeney Todd can be found at Madame Tussauds London, which is located at Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5LR and is about a two-minute walk from the Baker Street tube station. Of course, Madame Tussauds is also home to many other wax figures of celebrities, sports figures and other famous people. You can see the macabre side of London at the creepy tourist attraction the London Dungeon.

How to get to Camden Market by tube

ARRIVING BY UNDERGROUND

A 4-5 minutes walk from Waterloo Tube station, which is on the Northern, Jubilee and Bakerloo Lines. Waterloo mainline station is also just 4-5 minutes walk.

Sweeney Todd

The tale of Sweeney Todd, a barber who murdered and then cooked his victims into pies during the late 1700s, is one of the most macabre and sinister to have ever come out of London.

Sea Life London Aquarium

Visitors are immersed in an underwater world when they walk through the London Aquarium’s Shark Reef Encounter exhibit. 16 sharks swim throughout the three-floor exhibit, which also features heads from Easter Island. At the interactive Shark Academy, visitors can feel actual shark skin and learn about these fascinating creatures.

Tower Bridge

The first bridge ever built over the Thames was the London Bridge. As the city of London grew over the years, more bridges were built, but always to the west of London Bridge. The area east of the bridge was a busy port area.

The Imperial War Museum

The Imperial War Museum is committed to preserving and showcasing the history of conflicts from World War I through to the present day operation in Iraq and Afghanistan, paying particular attention to those involving Britain and the Commonwealth.

The British Library

The British Library, originally part of the British Museum, has over 170 million items: books, magazines, manuscripts, videos, prints, drawings and music recordings. It is the national library of the UK and the largest library in the world by total item count.

The British Museum

The British Museum represented a radical departure from traditional museums upon its establishment in 1753.

Victoria and Albert Museum

The Victoria and Albert Museum, also called the V&A, is named after Queen Victoria, the monarch of the United Kingdom and Ireland from 1837 to 1901, and her husband, Prince Albert, who died in 1861. It contains close to 5 million objects within 145 galleries dedicated to four categories of the decorative arts and design.

St Paul’s Cathedral

Set upon the highest point in the city, London’s famed St. Paul’s Cathedral comprises an iconic piece of both the city’s skyline and the country’s history

The Houses of Parliament

Houses of Parliament is a site rich with English heritage and history. The oldest portion, Westminster Hall, dates back to the eleventh century reign of William II. Westminster has been used by Parliaments since 1295 A.D.

London Transport Musuem

London’s Transport Museum takes you on a historic journey of London’s most iconic and famous transport models including the Taxi, Tube and London Buses. A great morning or afternoon out for all the family.

LOOKING FOR SOMEWHERE TO STAY?

We’ve found the best deals already, just enter your dates and we’ll connect you with our accommodation provider

Yeah, what’s going on
Ah, what’s going on

Join our newsletter and like Marvin Gaye, you’ll know what’s going on during the weekends down in Camden Market

 ..