London Serial Killers – The Blood and Tears Walk

London’s dark side comes into sharp focus on this brisk evening walk, which links ten serial-killer stories to churches, courts, alleys, and streets around the City and Fleet Street. Declan McHugh, author of Bloody London, leads the tour with facts, storytelling, questions, and a few carefully timed lighter moments.

I like two things right away: you see corners of London that most sightseeing walks skip, and the tour goes well beyond Jack the Ripper. The stop at St. Dunstan in the West, with its narrow alley and murder-scene exercise, sounds especially effective. The main drawback is practical: two miles in about two hours means a fairly quick pace, and the material is graphic and unsettling.

Key points to know before booking

• Ten killers, not just Jack the Ripper: The route covers cases connected with courts, hospitals, streets, and old criminal haunts.
• Declan McHugh leads the walk: His approach mixes serious research with questions, audience participation, and dark humor.
• The route covers about 3.2 kilometers: Expect a brisk walk with limited time for lingering or photographs.
• The most atmospheric stop is St. Dunstan in the West: A tight, isolated alley sets the stage for a psychic experiment and a grim double-killer story.
• The walk ends near Holborn Station: The final stop is the Victorian Princess Louise pub, about a minute from the Underground.
• The minimum age is 12: Children aged 12 to 14 must attend with an adult, and the subject matter is not gentle.

A dark London walk with a strong storytelling focus

This is not a museum visit or a casual stroll through old streets. It is a spoken performance tied to real places, with Declan stopping at ten points to tell stories of murder, justice, forensic work, and public fear.

The route begins near Barbican and finishes in Holborn. Along the way, you pass through parts of the City and the Fleet Street area that can feel surprisingly quiet after dark. The setting matters. Hearing about a killing while standing beside an old church, a court, or a cramped alley gives the stories a physical anchor.

Declan’s style is interactive. You may be asked to profile a killer, identify a clue, vote on horror films, or consider what you would sense at a murder scene. That format will appeal to you if you enjoy taking part rather than standing silently while a guide recites dates.

It can also divide opinion. Some people enjoy the schoolroom-style questions and quick exchanges. If you prefer a calm lecture, the quizzes and corrections may feel too forceful. The guide’s energy is part of the experience, so it is worth knowing that this is an active, personality-led walk.

St. Bartholomew the Great begins with an uncaught killer

The first stop, the Church of St. Bartholomew the Great, sets a serious tone. Declan tells the story of a killer who murdered a six-year-old girl, then, seven years later, killed a seven-year-old girl inside Barbican Station.

The focus is not only on the crimes. You hear about the similarities between the two cases and how the killer might be profiled. Since the murderer was never caught, this opening story carries an uncomfortable lack of resolution.

You receive about eight minutes here. That short stop gives you the shape of the walk: each story is compact, but the subject matter is dense. Do not expect a single case to receive a full lecture. The appeal is the range of stories and the links between them.

Holy Sepulchre and the grim business of dead bodies

At Holy Sepulchre London, the subject shifts to the economics of death. Grave-robbing, medical training, and serial murder meet in a story connected to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital.

This is a useful part of the walk because it places murder within the social conditions of old London. Bodies had value to doctors and medical schools, and the demand for anatomical specimens created a market that attracted grave robbers and killers.

The stop lasts about five minutes. You will not spend long inside the background, but it adds context to the darker cases that follow. It also shows that the walk is not only about famous names. Some of its best material comes from the strange systems and beliefs surrounding crime in earlier London.

The Old Bailey connects murder with the law

The Old Bailey is one of the route’s most important locations. This is the Central Criminal Court, a place linked to some of Britain’s most notorious trials.

Here, Declan discusses two serial killers. The first appeared at the court twice, helped send an innocent man to his death, and later confessed to murdering several women. The second killed thirteen women and caused fear for more than five years.

You return to the Old Bailey’s wider story later, when two more killers are introduced. One murdered fifteen boys and men. The other is described as perhaps the most dangerous woman in the world.

That structure gives the walk a useful thread. The court is not simply a backdrop for one case. It becomes a recurring symbol of how London tried to identify, prosecute, and punish people who caused widespread terror.

Printer Street brings a short break from the murders

Printer Street provides the evening’s lighter interlude. Declan asks the group to consider the scariest horror films ever made, then shares the top ten choices collected over twenty-three years of the tour.

There is an unusual detail in the voting history: one film was recommended by 2,000 men and not a single woman. Declan also gives his own recommendation, a cult horror film around sixty years old that can be watched free on YouTube.

This pause is more useful than it may sound. Two hours of real murder stories could become oppressive, especially in winter darkness or bad weather. The film discussion gives you a chance to breathe before the walk returns to real crimes, while still keeping the evening’s horror theme intact.

Red Lion Court tells a story built for a film

At Red Lion Court, you hear about a little-known Victorian serial killer who lived in London and murdered on two continents. The story includes several turns and apparently has all the ingredients of a movie, although no movie has been made about it.

The stop ends with a question based on the story. Very few people get the answer right, which fits the tour’s preference for participation over passive listening.

This is one of the places where Declan’s method becomes clear. He does not simply give you a name, a date, and a crime. He asks you to think through the evidence and the behavior. If you enjoy true crime podcasts and trying to predict the answer before it is revealed, you will probably like this format.

Hare Place gives Jack the Ripper a narrower focus

Jack the Ripper appears at Hare Place, just off Fleet Street. Rather than repeating the usual broad account of the Whitechapel murders, Declan presents his own suspect and explains why he believes this man was the killer.

That makes this section more specific than a standard Jack the Ripper introduction. You hear the argument behind the theory and are asked to consider how well the suspect fits the profile. The man has a full chapter in Bloody London, and copies of the book are available at the end of the walk.

This section includes the hardest question of the evening. A correct answer earns a place on the walk’s Roll of Honour, and only about one person in five hundred manages it. That detail tells you something about the tone: the walk treats the audience as participants in a puzzle, not just listeners.

If you already know a great deal about Jack the Ripper, this is still likely to be one of the more distinctive stops because it presents a particular theory rather than a general overview. If you are sensitive to unresolved murder cases, the speculation may feel frustrating instead of fun.

St. Dunstan in the West is the creepiest setting

The stop at St. Dunstan in the West is designed for atmosphere. The group enters a narrow, dingy, isolated alley that Declan considers one of the most unsettling places on the route.

Here, you take part in a psychic experiment based on a murder scene. The story concerns a pair of devious serial killers who operated in the area. The stop lasts about ten minutes, but the enclosed setting gives it more weight than the timing suggests.

This is the part most likely to affect you physically. The walk takes place in all weather, and the alley can feel particularly severe in the darker months. The guide warns that even tough people have found the atmosphere disturbing.

The psychic exercise will not suit everyone. You may find it theatrical, intriguing, or simply uncomfortable. The important point is that this is not a cheerful ghost walk. The focus remains on murder and human behavior, with the setting used to heighten the tension.

The Royal Courts of Justice turns the attention toward you

At the Royal Courts of Justice, Declan promises a section that is your responsibility, though the exact activity is kept as a surprise.

This short stop lasts about five minutes and continues the walk’s habit of asking the group to think and respond. It is a welcome change from receiving information, especially after the intense alley at St. Dunstan.

The building also keeps the legal thread alive. The walk repeatedly places crime beside institutions that dealt with it: hospitals, courts, churches, and streets where people lived or worked. You get a sense of London as a city where ordinary civic spaces sit close to grim human stories.

Portugal Street returns to two notorious killers

At Portugal Street, the Old Bailey’s earlier cases come back into the story. Declan discusses the killer who murdered fifteen boys and men, along with the woman he considers perhaps the most dangerous female serial killer in the world.

This seven-minute stop adds breadth to the evening. The walk does not limit itself to one era, one gender, or one familiar case. It also does not present every killer in the same way. Some stories concern the investigation, some the trial, some the setting, and some the behavior of the murderer.

The pace means you will not leave with a full biography of each person. You will leave with a series of sharply drawn cases and enough details to follow up if a particular story catches your attention.

Princess Louise provides a memorable finish

The walk ends at the Princess Louise, a famous Victorian pub at 208 High Holborn. Its ornate Victorian interior should offer a pleasant final setting, although the last story may make you hesitate before going inside.

Declan tells you about an infamous British serial killer and a particularly horrible act that is not included in the familiar books and documentaries about that person. He says the detail came from the head of forensics involved in the case, who attended the walk.

That final piece is intended as a surprise, so the account is not spoiled here. It also shows the difference between this walk and a standard list of famous crimes. Declan draws on less familiar material and personal contacts within forensic work.

Afterward, you can buy a signed copy of Bloody London for £10, payable in cash or through PayPal. The signing is optional, but the book makes sense as a follow-up if one of the lesser-known cases stays with you.

What the two-hour format means for you

The walk starts at 7pm near Underground Ltd on Aldersgate Street, close to Barbican. It ends at the Princess Louise, with Holborn Underground Station about sixty seconds away.

The advertised duration is roughly two hours, and the walking distance is about 2 miles, or 3.2 kilometers. That is not a major physical challenge for many people, but the pace is described as brisk because the route covers ten killers in a short time.

You should add at least twenty minutes to your plans for Underground delays. Arriving at the last moment is risky, especially since the group leaves at a fixed time. The maximum group size is listed as 45 people, while individual bookings can have a maximum of 20 people. The actual feel may vary by date, so do not assume every walk will be a tiny group.

Wear suitable clothes and shoes. The walk operates in all weather, and summer heat can make two hours outside feel harder than expected. Rain also affects your ability to take photographs, so bring what you need before the walk begins. If you want a photo, the guide says you can ask during the walk, but stopping for pictures may still affect your ability to keep up.

The tour is offered in English and uses a mobile ticket. Children must be accompanied by an adult, and the minimum age is strictly 12. Service animals are allowed.

Price, value, and the right kind of audience

At $27.74 per person, the tour is reasonably priced for a two-hour guided walk, especially if you value a strong presenter and material that goes beyond the usual London highlights. You are paying for research, storytelling, and a carefully arranged route rather than admission to monuments or a transport ride.

The best value comes from the variety. In one evening, you get court cases, grave-robbing, Victorian crime, Jack the Ripper theories, forensic information, horror-film discussion, and atmospheric locations. You also see parts of London you might not choose for a regular sightseeing walk.

I would choose this for true crime fans, horror fans, repeat visitors to London, and families with teenagers aged 12 or older who can handle the subject matter. It also suits you if you like being asked questions and sharing opinions.

I would skip it if you want a slow architectural walk, dislike audience participation, or find graphic murder stories upsetting. I would also choose another activity if you have significant mobility or health issues, cannot walk at a quick pace, or are likely to need frequent stops. The guide specifically warns that the tour may not suit people in their seventies because of the speed and distance.

Should you book The Blood and Tears Walk?

Book it if you want a serious true-crime walk with a theatrical edge and stories that reach beyond Jack the Ripper. Declan McHugh’s personal approach, the unusual locations, and the interactive questions give the evening a clear identity.

Think carefully first if you prefer gentle sightseeing or a guide who stays in the background. This walk asks you to listen closely, answer questions, walk steadily, and accept some grim material. For the right audience, the combination of London streets, court cases, dark humor, and lesser-known killers makes the $27.74 price a fair deal.

FAQ

How long does The Blood and Tears Walk last?

The walk lasts approximately two hours.

How far do you walk?

The route covers about 2 miles, or 3.2 kilometers, at a fairly brisk pace.

Where does the tour start?

It starts at Underground Ltd on Aldersgate Street, near Barbican, London EC1A 4JA.

Where does the tour end?

It ends at the Princess Louise pub at 208 High Holborn. Holborn Underground Station is about sixty seconds from the pub.

What time does the walk begin?

The start time is 7pm. You should allow an extra twenty minutes for possible Underground delays.

Is the tour suitable for children?

The minimum age is 12, and children aged 12 to 14 must be accompanied by an adult. The subject matter concerns serial murder and may not suit every young person.

Does the tour operate in bad weather?

Yes. The walk operates in all weather, so you should dress appropriately.