Execution at Tyburn, 1803
Watercolour
by Thomas Rowlandson
Rowlandson's watercolour offers a satrical view of the execution crowd, but a realistic representation of the gallows execution method. The condemned stood on a cart while nooses were tied to the crossbeam above. Having said their final prayers, the cart was slowly drawn away to leave the condemned suspended by the neck.*
From the exhibition
Executions
(October 2022 – April 2023)
Exploring how public executions shaped Londoners’ lives and the city’s landscape in a major exhibition.
Public executions were a major part of Londoners’ lives for centuries.
From Smithfield to Southwark, from Banqueting House to Newgate Prison, executions became embedded in London’s landscape from the 12th century right through to the 19th. Even today, hints of this uncomfortable past can still be seen across the capital.
The Museum of London Docklands brought the rarely told and often tragic human stories behind these events to a new exhibition. Executions showcased a range of fascinating objects, paintings and projections, including the vest said to have been worn by King Charles I when he was executed, a recreation of the Tyburn gallows with an immersive projection, last letters of the condemned, and much more. Many of the items on display had rarely been seen in public.
[*Museum of London Docklands]
Taken in the Museum of London Docklands
Execution at Tyburn, 1803
Watercolour
by Thomas Rowlandson
Rowlandson's watercolour offers a satrical view of the execution crowd, but a realistic representation of the gallows execution method. The condemned stood on a cart while nooses were tied to the crossbeam above. Having said their final prayers, the cart was slowly drawn away to leave the condemned suspended by the neck.*
From the exhibition
Executions
(October 2022 – April 2023)
Exploring how public executions shaped Londoners’ lives and the city’s landscape in a major exhibition.
Public executions were a major part of Londoners’ lives for centuries.
From Smithfield to Southwark, from Banqueting House to Newgate Prison, executions became embedded in London’s landscape from the 12th century right through to the 19th. Even today, hints of this uncomfortable past can still be seen across the capital.
The Museum of London Docklands brought the rarely told and often tragic human stories behind these events to a new exhibition. Executions showcased a range of fascinating objects, paintings and projections, including the vest said to have been worn by King Charles I when he was executed, a recreation of the Tyburn gallows with an immersive projection, last letters of the condemned, and much more. Many of the items on display had rarely been seen in public.
[*Museum of London Docklands]
Taken in the Museum of London Docklands