The Crime Museum

The Crime Museum sits in the basement of the Curtis Green Building, part of New Scotland Yard in Westminster. It began in 1874 as an unofficial collection of criminal items gathered under the Forfeiture Act 1870. Inspector Percy George Neame started it with clothing from the murdered Jane Clouson, soon joined by constable Randall. The museum moved with the force to New Scotland Yard in 1890 and later to Victoria Street in 1967. After a spell in the Museum of London for its 150th anniversary, it reopened in 2018 in a specially designed basement room. The museum holds more than five hundred exhibits kept at a steady seventeen degrees. Among them are weapons used in London murders, disguised firearms, walking-stick swords and hangman’s nooses. It includes objects from famous cases such as Charlie Peace’s belongings, the ricin pellet that killed Georgi Markov and Dennis Nilsen’s stove and bathtub. The display also features the noose used for Ruth Ellis’s execution and the trunk from the Charing Cross Trunk Murder. Items once belonging to prolific counterfeiters and burglars are stored here too. Visitors who gain access find a quiet, controlled space where each object is lit to show its detail. The room’s design by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris creates a sombre atmosphere for study. Labels explain each piece’s history without sensationalism, supporting police training and research. The museum remains closed to the public but opens by appointment to officers and invited specialists. Its purpose is to preserve evidence that helps prevent future crimes through careful examination of the past.