LONDON'S UNDERWORLD

Step away from the bright lights and bustle and explore the capital's dark side

- 

London from 1750 to 1914 was at the heart of a global empire, a centre of the Industrial Revolution and arguably the most powerful city in the world. But, like all major cities, it had a shadowy underbelly of murder, terrorism, tragedy and supernatural happenings. Now this darker side of the capital's history is explored in a new book by social historian Dr Drew Gray.

Split into four chapters entitled Crime and Punishment, Death and the Supernatural, Dens of Vice and Iniquity, and Disasters and Destitution, Dark London: A Journey Through the City's Mysterious and Macabre Underworld delves into the seamier history of the capital through more than 100 cases and stories. From the murders of serial killer Jack the Ripper to the lesser-known activities of the grave-robbing London Burkers, Gray brings out of the shadows tales of spooky Victorian seances, the mistreatment of patients at Bedlam, the 1875 Whitechapel Tragedy and more. He also looks at how London's prisons, courts and workhouses dealt with the grim chaos. Richly illustrated and covering a wide array of topics,