Old Palace Yard, Westminster
Lying between the Palace of Westminster and the Westminster Abbey, this unremarkable-looking public space was once the scene of some of England's bloodiest executions - perhaps most famously the scene
View Article25 Midland Road, Gloucester
First home of Fred and Rose West and scene of their first known and confirmed murders.
View ArticleCharmaine West
Fred's step-daughter from his first marriage, believed to have been killed by Rose West while Fred was in prison.When Fred West met Rose in 1969 he was looking after Charmaine
View ArticleFred and Rose West
Serial killers, by definition, live outside legal stricture. Regardless of the penalties they might face on discovery, they pursue their peculiar and private obsessions beyond the limits of any soc
View ArticleGuy Fawkes
Guy Fawkes - who sometimes styled himself as 'Guido', taking the Spanish version of the name during time he spent fighting in Holland and Belgium - is one of the most celebrated figures in popul
View ArticleHigh Royds Hospital
Another astounding piece of monumental Victorian architecture dedicated to the care and treatment of the 'insane', High Royds Hospital was opened as The West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum in Octo
View Article16 Wardle Brook Avenue
16 Wardle Brook Avenue, once home to Myra Hindley and Ian Brady. Here they murdered Lesley-Ann Downey (aged 10) on Boxing Day 1964, and then Edward Evans (Aged 17) in October 1965.Murde
View ArticleIan Brady and Myra Hindley: The Moors Murderers
Even in an age where the gory details of seemingly every murder are played out in graphic detail in the daily pages of our newspapers, TV screens and websites, a special category of horror is still
View ArticleRonald Maddison
20 year old Ronald Maddison was an R.A.F. engineer who, like thousands of others, jumped at the chance to be part of what he was told would be research into the common cold virus. For 15 shillings and
View ArticlePorton Down
This sprawling complex of anonymous looking buildings is alleged to be at the heart of the British intelligence community's experiments in chemical, biological and psychological warfare.WWI and WW
View ArticleGruinard Island: Operation Vegetarian
In 1942, with the Second World War in full swing and increasingly sophisticated exploration of both chemical and biological warfare, scientists from
View ArticleThe North Berwick Witch Trials
In 1590, James VI of Scotland - the later James I of England - sailed to Copenhagen to marry the sister of the King of Denmark. On the return voyage following the marriage, the fleet was subject
View ArticleDaemonologie: James I
James I of Great Britain's reign was torn by religious and political strife. As James VI of Scotland, he had already come to believe that his life was threatened by witchcraft. In 1590 he took d
View ArticleThe Witchcraft Act, 1604
James I's "Witchcraft Act" (or more correctly: "An Act Against Conjuration, Witchcraft and dealing with evil and wicked spirits") built on the precedents set by earlier Acts passed by Henry
View ArticleAnn McFall
During Fred's first marriage to Rena Costello, he got Ann McFall pregnant during a typically tempestuous time during his marriage, when Rena had fled for some months back to Scotland. She returned to
View ArticleBarghest
Barghest is one of Yorkshire's most commonly-encountered black dogs - and also goes by the name of Bargjtest or Bo-guest. His haunts run wide across the county, having strong resonances with the
View ArticleBritish Witch Hunts and Trials
Even today, the witch is a popular staple character in popular mythology. From Roald Dahl to the Wizard of Oz to the costumes worn by children at Hallowe'en, witches are part of the warp and wef
View ArticleGef the talking mongoose
Among the very weirdest demonic infestations to have been recorded is the case of Gef - a spirit who veered between poltergeist and the appearance of a talking mongoose, who haunted a family for over
View ArticleBurlington: Central Government War Headquarters
Following the end of World War II and the calamitous descent of the Iron Curtain across Eastern Europe, Britain was plunged into the uncertainties of the nuclear age - where the prospect of nucl
View ArticleGareth Williams - Murdered MI6 Spy?
31 year old codes and cipher specialist Gareth Williams shot from the anonymity demanded by his job to the front pages of every national newspaper when his body was found in August 2009.
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