Execution Sites of London

London was once known as the "City of the Gallows" for the frequency of its public executions.

Since the 10th Century more than 200,000 people are believed to have been beheaded, burned at the stake or hanged, for crimes ranging from counterfeiting to witchcraft.

Public executions were once keenly anticipated events, attended by passionate and partisan crowds often numbering tens of thousands and London's execution sites, including Tower Hill, Tyburn, Smithfield and Charing Cross became popular destinations for visitors. Public executions were finally outlawed in Britain in 1867.

Historian, folklorist and gravestone expert Robert Stephenson will recount some of the more grisly episodes from this once popular spectator sport.