This major exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands explores the phenomenon of public executions in London’s history through the stories, objects and legacies of those that lived, died and witnessed the events first hand from 1196 to 1868.

More frequent in London that any other British city, the capital was host to the most high profile public executions. From Smithfield to Southwark, from Banqueting House to Newgate Prison, executions became embedded in London’s landscape. Even today, hints of this past can be found across the capital.

Executions (14 October 2022- 16 April 2023) explores the 200 offences- from treason to theft- that were punishable by death, the rituals that surrounded the event, high profile cases and celebrity criminals that captured the public imagination, the experiences of ordinary Londoners, the execution economy and how public execution became embedded in popular culture through music, theatre and literature.

Objects set to go on display include a vest said to have been worn by King Charles I at his execution, a 300yr old bedsheet embroidered with human hair belonging to the third Earl of Derwentwater James Radclyffe, items belonging to prison reformer Elizabeth Fry, as well as illustrations, execution broadsides, and last letters of the condemned.