It used to be said that London’s streets were paved in gold but in reality they were running in blood – the blood of tens of thousands of people executed by the state for crimes ranging from treason to petty theft.
Over 700 years, public executions in the capital – often intended as a deterrent against criminal activity – were watched by vast crowds, creating an “execution economy” built on a thirst for grisly details and a physical hunger born of hours of anticipation.
