London Serial Killers – The Blood and Tears Walk

London’s dark side comes into sharp focus on this two-hour walk, which moves from Barbican to Holborn through churches, courts, alleys, and streets most sightseeing tours skip. Guide Declan McHugh, author of Bloody London, tells stories about ten serial killers, not just Jack the Ripper.

I like the unusual route and the way the walk mixes facts with questions, film talk, profiling exercises, and a strange psychic experiment. I also like that the stories are tied to real places rather than delivered as a general lecture. The main drawback is clear: the pace is brisk, and two miles in two hours can be tiring, especially in bad weather or summer heat.

Key points to know before you book

• Ten serial killers in two hours: Expect a packed evening, with stories continuing as you walk between stops.
• A different side of London: The route uses East End and central London locations that many sightseeing tours pass by.
• Led by Declan McHugh: His approach combines crime research, storytelling, audience questions, and dark humor.
• Interactive rather than passive: You may be asked to profile a killer, name a horror film, or judge the atmosphere of a shadowy alley.
• Brisk 3.2-kilometer walk: Good shoes and sensible clothing matter, since the tour runs in all weather.
• Ends near Holborn Underground station: The walk finishes at the Victorian Princess Louise pub, close to the Central and Piccadilly lines.

Why this dark London walk feels different

Many London crime walks focus almost entirely on Jack the Ripper. This one gives him only part of the evening. You also hear about murderers connected with the Old Bailey, Victorian London, hospitals, grave-robbing, missing children, and crimes committed on two continents.

That wider scope is the tour’s biggest strength. You are not simply following a famous name from one alley to another. You are getting a fast-moving set of stories that show how crime, medicine, courts, poverty, public fear, and the city’s streets once overlapped.

Declan McHugh leads the walk and draws on material from his book Bloody London. His style is active and direct. He asks questions, invites you to make judgments, and uses occasional humor to break up the grim subject matter. That will suit you if you like a guide who talks with the group rather than delivering a quiet script.

It may not suit you if you prefer a calm, formal history walk. The audience participation can feel like a schoolroom exercise at times, and one poor experience specifically objected to the questioning style. Most of the available feedback is strongly positive, with a 4.9 rating from 672 ratings and 97 percent recommending the experience, but the lower scores point to a real issue: the guide’s energy and interactivity will not appeal to everyone.

Starting at Barbican with a child murder case

The walk begins at Underground Ltd on Aldersgate Street, near Barbican, at 7 p.m. Allow extra time to get there. The tour operator advises adding 20 minutes because Underground delays can be frequent, and arriving at exactly 7 p.m. leaves little room for error.

The opening stop is the Church of St. Bartholomew the Great. Here, Declan tells the disturbing story of an uncaught killer who murdered a six-year-old girl and, seven years later, killed a seven-year-old girl inside Barbican Station.

The point is not simply to name the crimes. Declan compares the cases and asks you to consider what the similarities suggest about the killer. That gives the opening a clear structure: you begin with a real location, hear two connected cases, and start thinking about how serial offenders are identified and profiled.

The stop lasts about eight minutes. The church itself provides a striking setting, but the experience is primarily about the spoken account. Do not expect a long architectural visit or a chance to explore inside at leisure.

Holy Sepulchre and the grim business of bodies

At Holy Sepulchre London, the subject shifts to the economics of dead people. The story connects grave-robbing, serial killing, and the medical demand for human bodies.

The reference to doctors at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital adds useful context. It shows how medical training and the shortage of legally available bodies created a market that encouraged terrible acts. The stop is only about five minutes, but it broadens the tour beyond individual killers and into the social conditions around them.

This is one of the better examples of what the walk does well. You are not only hearing who killed whom. You are also hearing about the systems and attitudes that allowed crimes to happen or remain hidden.

The Old Bailey and four killers linked to one court

The Old Bailey is the grandest setting on the route. The Central Criminal Court is one of the world’s best-known courts, and Declan uses it to discuss two serial killers whose trials took place there.

The first story concerns a killer who appeared at the court twice. He helped send an innocent man to his death before later confessing to multiple murders of women. That case brings in wrongful conviction, courtroom failure, and the danger of accepting a convincing story too quickly.

The second concerns a murderer who killed 13 women and caused fear for more than five years. The emphasis is on the long period of terror and the public consequences of a serial killer remaining active.

Declan returns to the Old Bailey later through two more cases. One killer murdered 15 boys and men. The other was a woman described during the tour as perhaps the most dangerous woman in the world.

The Old Bailey section is short at roughly eight minutes, yet it carries a lot of material. You should expect a concentrated introduction rather than a complete account of each case. The value lies in seeing how several different stories connect to one court.

Printer Street brings a strange change of mood

Printer Street supplies the evening’s lighter moment. Declan asks for your vote on the scariest horror films of all time and shares the top ten choices gathered over 23 years of the tour.

One part of this section concerns a film recommended by 2,000 men but not a single woman. Declan also offers his own pick, a 60-year-old cult horror film that he says is free to watch on YouTube.

This may sound like a detour, but it serves a practical purpose. Two hours of murder stories could become relentlessly bleak. The film discussion gives the group a breather and lets people take part without needing prior knowledge of London crime.

If you want a strictly factual history walk, this section may feel unnecessary. If you enjoy horror films, it can be one of the most memorable parts, particularly because the group’s choices become part of the evening.

A Victorian killer in Red Lion Court

At Red Lion Court, you hear about a lesser-known Victorian serial killer who murdered on two continents and lived in London. The story includes several turns and is presented as the kind of real-life case that could be made into a film, though it never has been.

The stop ends with a question based on the facts you have just heard. Very few people get it right, which is typical of the tour’s approach. Declan wants you to pay attention to motives, movements, and small details instead of simply waiting for the next shocking fact.

At about ten minutes, this is one of the longer stops. The setting helps because Red Lion Court feels removed from the main flow of the city. Still, the impact depends heavily on how much you enjoy Declan’s storytelling style.

Jack the Ripper at Hare Place

Jack the Ripper appears at Hare Place, just off Fleet Street. Rather than repeating only the familiar Whitechapel stories, Declan explains why he believes a particular man was the killer. That suspect has a full chapter in Bloody London.

This is a useful angle for anyone who has already read several Ripper books or watched documentaries. You are not being asked merely to recall the standard list of victims. You are asked to assess a suspect and decide how well the evidence fits.

The section includes more profiling questions and what is described as the hardest question on the entire walk. Only about one person in 500 gets it right, according to the guide’s long-running tally. That claim is part of the showmanship, but it also tells you how the tour works: listen closely, think through the clues, and expect to be tested.

The Jack the Ripper section lasts about 15 minutes, making it one of the longest stops. It is likely to appeal to true-crime fans, but it should not be your only reason for booking. The evening is designed around ten killers, not one famous case.

The alley at St. Dunstan in the West

St. Dunstan in the West leads to the tour’s most atmospheric location. The group enters a narrow, dingy, isolated alley where Declan conducts a psychic experiment around a murder scene.

He also tells the story of two devious serial killers who operated in the area. The guide warns that this is not a pleasant place, particularly during the darker months. The setting, low light, and confined space do much of the work here.

This is the moment most likely to divide the group. Some people will enjoy the creepy tension and the unusual experiment. Others may find the theatrical approach too much, especially because the actual location is uncomfortable rather than polished.

The stop takes about ten minutes. Stay aware of your footing and the people around you. The tour is conducted outdoors, and the atmosphere depends partly on the weather and the time of year.

Royal Courts of Justice and the audience takes over

At the Royal Courts of Justice, Declan describes this as your section, without revealing the details in advance. The material is intended to be interesting, surprising, and sometimes difficult to believe.

The lack of detail here is deliberate. This stop seems designed as a reveal, so I would avoid searching for an explanation before you arrive. You will get more from it if you let the guide set up the situation.

The courts also provide another strong setting. After churches, alleys, and narrow lanes, the formal legal building reinforces the connection between crime and the institutions that tried to control it.

Portugal Street and two more killers

Portugal Street brings back the two killers linked to trials at the Old Bailey. One murdered 15 boys and men. The other is presented as possibly the most dangerous woman in the world.

This section helps tie the route together. Earlier, the Old Bailey introduced the court. Here, the stories continue in a different location, showing how the walk revisits themes and cases rather than treating each stop as an isolated anecdote.

The stop lasts about seven minutes. Given the number of cases covered during the evening, do not expect every name, date, or legal detail to be explored at length. The tour’s aim is to give you a vivid working knowledge of the cases and encourage you to read more afterward.

Finishing at the Princess Louise pub

The final stop is the Princess Louise at 208 High Holborn, a Victorian pub known for its decorative interior. The walk ends close to Holborn Underground station, about 60 seconds from the pub, on the Central and Piccadilly lines.

Before you enter, Declan tells the final serial-killer story. It concerns a notorious British killer and an especially horrible act that he says is absent from the familiar books and documentaries. The detail came to him from the head of forensics involved in the case, who later joined the tour.

That last story is designed to leave a mark. It may also make you hesitate before settling into a drink at the pub, which is clearly part of the intended effect.

Declan sells signed copies of Bloody London after the walk for £10 in cash or through PayPal. You do not need to buy the book, but it is a useful option if you want to continue with the cases after the tour.

Price, group size, and the walking reality

At $27.74 per person, the price is fair for a two-hour guided walk with a specialist host. You are paying for access to Declan’s researched material, a carefully arranged route, and live storytelling rather than admission to a major attraction.

The value is strongest if you enjoy true crime and want an evening activity that uses real London streets. It is weaker if you expect formal site admissions, displays, or a slow historical walk. Every listed stop has free admission, and the experience is built around the guide’s presentation.

The pace deserves serious attention. The route covers about two miles, or 3.2 kilometers, and Declan needs to keep moving to fit ten killers into two hours. One person described the walk as manageable and flat, while another struggled to keep up in heavy rain. Both points can be true.

The tour operates in all weather. Wear comfortable shoes and bring clothing for rain, wind, or summer heat. You should also leave time for photos only when the group stops, since frequent pauses would make it difficult to complete the route.

The booking information allows up to 20 people per booking, while the overall activity may reach 45 participants. That means the atmosphere may be more like a small outdoor talk than a private walk. If a quieter experience matters to you, keep the possible group size in mind.

Who should book this London crime walk?

I would choose this tour if you:

• Enjoy true crime, horror films, or Jack the Ripper history
• Prefer stories connected to actual streets and buildings
• Like guides who ask questions and involve the group
• Want to see parts of London outside the usual sightseeing route
• Can walk 3.2 kilometers at a steady pace
• Are comfortable hearing disturbing accounts of murder and child victims

I would choose something else if you:

• Have significant mobility or health concerns
• Need frequent rest stops
• Prefer a quiet, academic presentation
• Are sensitive to graphic crime stories
• Want a tour focused only on Jack the Ripper
• Dislike audience questions, quizzes, or theatrical storytelling

The minimum age is 12, and children aged 12 to 14 must be accompanied by an adult. The age rule is strictly enforced. Service animals are allowed, but the guide specifically advises people with mobility issues to consider another tour.

Should you book The Blood and Tears Walk?

Book it if you want a fast, unusual, story-led evening rather than a standard London history walk. The strongest parts are the range of cases, the real locations, the Old Bailey connections, the Jack the Ripper suspect analysis, and the uneasy alley at St. Dunstan in the West.

Declan McHugh’s enthusiasm is a major part of the experience. For most people, that energy makes the two hours pass quickly. For a few, the questions and schoolteacher-like delivery may feel overbearing.

At $27.74, the walk offers solid value for true-crime fans who can keep up and enjoy a little theatrical tension. Arrive early, dress for the weather, bring comfortable shoes, and expect a brisk route through some genuinely grim material. If that sounds like your kind of London evening, this is an easy tour to add to your plans.

FAQ

How long is The Blood and Tears Walk?

The tour lasts approximately two hours and covers about two miles, or 3.2 kilometers.

Where does the tour begin?

It begins at Underground Ltd on Aldersgate Street near Barbican, London EC1A 4JA. The start time is 7 p.m.

Where does the walk finish?

It finishes at the Princess Louise pub at 208 High Holborn, near Holborn Underground station. The station serves the Central and Piccadilly lines and is about 60 seconds from the pub.

What is the minimum age?

The minimum age is 12. Children aged 12 to 14 must be accompanied by an adult, and the age rule is strictly enforced.

Does the tour operate in bad weather?

Yes. The walk operates in all weather, so you should dress appropriately. Summer heat can also make the two-hour walk uncomfortable.

Can I cancel for a refund?

You can cancel for a full refund if you do so at least 24 hours before the experience start time. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the start are not accepted for a refund.