News

That's the Spirit! Today is a very special day! It might not be BLINDINGLY obvious why, so we’ll tell you… It’s National Moonshine Day! The term Moonshine is generally used to refer to high proof alcohol, usually homemade and illicit! The most common spirit under this name is typically made from corn mash – it is defined as ‘unaged whiskey’ by the American government. It has a curious and well-documented history. The Moonshine we all know and love came to prominence during prohibition-era America, where it was illegally distilled and distributed to the very THIRSTY crowds in speakeasies and home bars. The country was rife with illegal smuggling and even rifer with poor quality alcohol – as the spirit was made in people’s homemade stills (a piece of equipment used in alcohol production), it often picked up dangerous trace elements from the ramshackle pieces they used to cobble it together. A pot still works by heating the fermented corn mash so the alcohol (Ethanol) vapours evaporate. These vapours travel through a tube to another container where they...

In the spirit of our Trail of the Golden Goose event, we thought we should be talking about an eggciting crime (sorry for the bad yolk (sorry again)). Have you ever heard of Faberge eggs? Faberge eggs are glitzy globes of jewel-encrusted precious metals. Originally manufactured for Russian Royalty between 1885 – 1917, they each contained a ‘surprise’ – in one case a 1/16th golden model of the imperial carriage painstakingly crafted over 13 months! They had been presented annually by the Tsar to the Tsarina, often as Easter gifts. Not the kind of egg you’d want on your toast, unless you plan on losing a few teeth! The Coronation Egg - complete with tiny carriage! The Faberge family made more than just eggs though, with high-end jewellery and clocks in their catalogue as well. In 2014, one man walked (well, stumbled) into Christie’s Auction House in Central London. He made his way to fourth floor where he found a safe – after rooting through some unlocked drawers he found the key to...

In 2015 we had the honour of welcoming LEGENDARY author WENSLEY CLARKSON onto the True CRIME Museum stage for our KINGS OF CRIME night. He fascinated an audience of over 100 with some astonishing tales about British criminals including Great Train Robber, Charlie Wilson. Our Curator Joel Griggs read Clarkson’s account of Wilson’s complex life and gives his verdict below… IN A NUTSHELL: “Killing Charlie” describes the life of a professional, old-school CRIMINAL. Drama abounds, with jail-breaks, precisely planned heists, a corrupt establishment and a coke deal gone wrong. This is also a very intimate and HUMAN story and much interest lies in the chapters where, like us all, Wilson struggles to make finances and relationships work. From ‘largin’ it’ in 1960’s London to ignoble execution poolside on the Costa Del Sol, Wilson chose to live a life of crime. Sensitive and balanced in its account, “Killing Charlie” also suggests that crime chose him. CRIME TIP I LEARNED FROM THIS BOOK: Poke fun at Ron Kray’s paunch… spill beer on Jihadi...

Curator's Reviews! The Little Book of Jack the Ripper... Joel and Jeffrey are enthralled by The Little Book of Jack the Ripper IN A NUTSHELL: The Whitechapel Society was formed twenty years ago to promote the study of the Ripper murders. Members meet bi-monthly and a dozen have contributed chapters to ‘The Little Book of Jack the Ripper”.  The book focuses on the victims, suspects and the social and historic background of the case. (Hardback, it’s 189pgs long with B&W spot illustrations. RRP £9.99)  THE LITTLE BOOK OF JACK THE RIPPER by The Whitechapel Society THE VERDICT:The mystery of Jack the Ripper is so enticing and enduring that it cuts through all ensuing eras. The 1980s was a particularly fertile decade for anyone captivated by the tale and movies, TV documentaries and bestselling paperbacks flooded the market, each with a solution more outlandish than the last: The Masons did it… Jack was a Royal Prince! A Hastings hairdresser and a half-human sewer beast also...