MUSEUM NAME CHANGE BRINGS A HOST OF EVENTS TO BOW STREET:
FROM EVENING TALKS AND WALKING TOURS TO SUFFRAGETTES AT BOW STREET – THE FIGHT FOR HOPE, A PROGRAMME OF EVENTS FOR THE MAY HALF TERM.
• Discover the history of Wandsworth Prison with the honorary curator of Wandsworth Prison Museum, Stewart McLaughlin, at an evening talk.
• Meet ‘Hope’! The full-sized Lego suffragette who was built using 32,327 Lego bricks and took a team 171 hours to create. Join the conversation online and share your pictures with the hashtag #StandwithHope.
• This May Half Term Families are invited to join us for hands-on creative workshops. Learn about the history of suffragette rosettes and make your own to take home with you.
• Join us for our adults-only, late museum opening – witness Maria Beadell in a live performance as suffragette Kitty Marion; listen to author Jennifer Godfrey talking about her book ‘Secret Missions of the Suffragettes’.
• Bring your placards and protest for your rights in our Votes for Women! Walking Tour in association with Herstorical Tours.
• Join historian Sacha Coward in June for Pride Month. Beginning with Oscar Wilde’s incarceration, he will explore the ways in which gothic literature and horror has been informed by sexual transgression; why were so many gothic writers queer, and why have queer folk historically been so drawn to those stories.
Visit Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice in 2025 and beyond to discover more about the history of law, (dis)order and criminal investigations in the heart of London’s Theatreland.
BOW STREET MUSEUM OF CRIME AND JUSTICE ANNOUNCES NAME CHANGE TO REFLECT THEIR EVOLVING MISSION.
On April 1st, the Museum previously known as Bow Street Police Museum changed its operational name to Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice.
Museum Director, Simon Tansley, said: “The reason for this change is to better reflect the breadth and depth of the stories we have to tell. Bow Street’s iconic Magistrate’s Court, and the cases it heard, are as famous as the Bow Street Runners, the first organised police force, and whilst the history of policing and the original police cells in this historic building, will remain prominent in our storytelling, we feel it is equally important to look at the history of those with lived experiences of crime and justice, famous or not, who passed through the legal system here on Bow Street over the last 300 years”.
The fledgling museum has listened to visitor feedback since opening its doors in May 2021 and say the name change will broaden the appeal of the Museum, engage a wider audience, and attract more visitors. Simon Tansley added: “As a small independent museum, which relies on donations and income from visitors, we have to remain agile, listen to our visitors, and ensure the stories we tell not only reflect the significant social history of crime and justice on Bow Street, but that those stories are relevant and speak to today’s audiences too. This next step in our evolution will make the Museum more resilient and help to ensure that we can continue to protect this important part of all of our shared history”.
To help mark this new era, the Museum have an exciting programme of events coming up, starting with a focus on the experiences of both The Suffragettes and Oscar Wilde at Bow Street, two of the many stories that encourage us to think about the meaning of crime and justice, past and present.
SUFFRAGETTES AT BOW STREET – THE FIGHT FOR HOPE:
Throughout May:
In the early 20th century, women fighting to get the vote were repeatedly ignored by the government of the day and increasingly treated with hostility and violence by law enforcement. The suffragists, who started out as peaceful protestors, slowly adopted more and more aggressive tactics to bring attention to their cause, leading to mass arrests and imprisonment.
Suffragettes at Bow Street – The Fight for Hope will explore the relationship between the suffragettes and Bow Street officers through live performance, object-handling sessions, family-friendly workshops and a full-scale Lego model of an Edwardian suffragette.
In 2018, the UK Parliament commemorated 100 years since some women over 30 in Britain first won the right to vote in parliamentary elections in 1918. It held various public exhibitions, events and activities to encourage debates about gender equality. The legacy of these celebrations included the construction of ‘Hope’, the Lego Suffragette, who is now travelling the country on the road to 2028 and the equal suffrage centenary celebrations. ‘Hope’ was named in a public poll and stands 5 ft 6 in (1.7m) in height. She was built by The Lego Group using 32,327 Lego bricks, taking a team 171 hours to create.
Director of Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice, Simon Tansley, said “This is an exciting time for the Museum as we host our first temporary exhibition and public event programme, shining a light on the Suffragettes and their experience at Bow Street. There will be something suitable for all ages – and we hope this will start some exciting conversations in the Museum and online”.
Visit ‘Hope’ at and join the conversation on social media from 4th April – 1st June, using the hashtag #StandwithHope.
‘Hope’s’ visit and Suffragettes at Bow Street – The Fight for Hope takeover is programmed by Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice, with support from St James’s ward budget Programme. ‘Hope’ is on loan from the House of Commons.
FOR FAMILIES – SUFFRAGETTE ROSETTE WORKSHOP:
May Half Term:
Join us this May Half Term for our suffragette rosette-making workshop. Learn how they became an important symbol in the fight for the vote, and make your very own personalised rosette in our family-friendly workshop!
Suitable for all ages. Booking is essential as spaces are limited and likely to sell out.
Duration: approximately 30 minutes
Dates: 24th May, 25th May, 29th May, 30th May, 31st May, 1st June
Times: 11:30 or 14.30 each day; please check when booking.
Conditions of entry: Museum admission prices apply (Children Under 12 go FREE). All children must be accompanied by an adult.
VOTES FOR WOMEN: SUFFRAGETTES AT BOW STREET AND BEYOND:
Walking Tour – Sunday 18th May, 10:30
In proud association with the Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice, allow Herstorical Tours to transport you back to Edwardian London and retrace the footsteps (quite literally!) of these incredible women as they marched, preached, fought, smashed, burned, and bombed their way to getting women the vote.
From Westminster to Covent Garden, revisit the locations where the suffragettes held protests, rallies, and staged some more *ahem* ‘creative’ stunts. See also where they were arrested
and tried.
On this tour, you will see a theatrical re-telling of the stories of…
• Human smuggling involving a Music Hall star…
• Vandalism in the National Gallery…
• A disabled, working-class suffragette of the East End…
• A refugee singer and actress who became an arsonist…
• An Indian Princess who joined the cause…
• …and many more!
Herstorical tours are guided walking tours with a difference. Created and led by Maria, a performer and storyteller, the tours focus on women’s stories in London’s history and bring those stories to life using acting, comedy, and fun! With a special focus on the dark and curious underbelly of London’s past along with the ‘forgotten’ women, exploring the hidden nooks and crannies of the city whilst introducing you to the characters that created ‘herstory’ there. Herstorical tours aim to educate on sensitive historical subjects with the right balance of respect and entertainment.
The tour lasts approximately 2 hours and will take place on Sunday 18th May at 10:30.
MUSEUM AFTER DARK: SUFFRAGETTES AT BOW STREET
Late opening – Friday 23rd May, 18:30
Join us for this adults-only, late museum opening as part of our Suffragettes at Bow Street programme. We are delighted to be hosting a fun, informative, hands-on evening of events:
• Meet Kitty Marion, actress and suffragette, who sacrificed everything for the cause. Performed by Maria Beadell of Herstorical Tours.
• Author Jennifer Godfrey will be talking about her book Secret Missions of the Suffragettes: Glass Breakers and Safe Houses and revealing how the protests impacted Bow Street.
• Explore objects from the propaganda battles between the suffragettes and their detractors with our handling collection
• Make your own suffragette rosette and discover how they became an important symbol in the fight for the vote.
• Meet ‘Hope’ the Lego Suffragette, a full-size model commissioned by the House of Commons to celebrate the centenary of votes for women.
Timings: doors open at 18:30
Conditions of entry: this event is recommended for anyone over the age of 16 years.
Tickets: this event is in person at the Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice
Prices to attend at the Museum: £15/ £12 Friends of the Museum.
FROM OSCAR WILDE TO RONNIE BIGGS: A HISTORY OF WANDSWORTH PRISON:
Evening Talk – Thursday 15th May, 18:30
Since its completion in 1851, as Surrey House of Correction, Wandsworth Prison has housed some of Britain’s most notorious and well-known prisoners.
Originally holding men, then women and children, it became the hanging prison for South London in 1878.
Many convicted criminals who had stood before magistrates at Bow Street found themselves incarcerated here, including Oscar Wilde, William Joyce (AKA ‘Lord Haw-Haw’), Roger Casement, the Kray twins and James Earl Ray.
Join us to explore the incredible history of this Victorian institution, including Jack the Ripper suspects, John Haigh, (AKA The Acid Bath Murderer), Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs and his infamous escape, and how capital punishment was carried out at Wandsworth Prison from 1878 to 1961, with high-profile executioner Albert Pierrepoint a frequent visitor.
Stewart McLaughlin is the Honorary Curator of the Wandsworth Prison Museum and an author of several books on the prison’s history. Wandsworth Prison Museum is viewable by appointment only, it contains over 470 objects and items covering the gaol’s history. It has been open since 2008.
Timings: doors open at 18:15. The talk begins at 18:30 and lasts approximately 75 minutes, including a Q&A with the audience.
Tickets: there are two ways to attend this event, in person at Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice, or online via a live stream (using Zoom).
Prices to attend at the Museum: £12 / £9.60 Friends.
Prices to attend via Zoom: £6/£4.80 Friends
QUEER AS FOLKLORE: PORTRAITS IN THE ATTIC
Evening Talk – Thursday 19th June, 18:30
Beginning with Oscar Wilde’s incarceration, Sacha Coward will explore the ways in which gothic literature and horror has been informed by sexual transgression; why were so many gothic writers queer, and why have queer folk historically been so drawn to stories with tragic endings, ghosts and decaying grandeur? Also, what was the impact of Oscar Wilde’s life, death and imprisonment on other writers and creators then and now?
Finally, he will explore the connection that has repeatedly been drawn between LGBTQ+ people and death in general, from the murders of Whitechapel, Victorian spiritual mediums, all the way to Disney villains.
For better and often worse, why do queer folk find themselves so closely embroiled in dark narratives, and at what cost?
Sacha Coward has worked in museums and heritage for over 10 years. For the past three years, he has been freelancing as a historian, public speaker, and researcher. He has run LGBTQ+ focused tours for museums, cemeteries, archives, and cities around the world. Last year he published his first book ‘Queer As Folklore’ an exploration of myths and monsters from a queer perspective.
Timings: doors open at 18:15. The talk begins at 18:30 and lasts approximately 75 minutes, including a Q&A with the audience.
Tickets: there are two ways to attend this event, in person at Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice, or online via a live stream (using Zoom).
Prices to attend at the Museum: £12 / £9.60 Friends.
Prices to attend via Zoom: £6/£4.80 Friends
VISIT THE MUSEUM
Within the iconic building that housed both the Magistrates’ Courts and Police Station in the heart of London’s Theatreland, Bow Street Museum of Crime & Justice highlights how Bow Street has been at the centre of the development of policing and the criminal justice system since the 18th century.
Discover the story of the Bow Street Runners, London’s first law enforcement service, and the Metropolitan Police Officers who walked the streets in their footsteps. Explore the original 19th century cells and uncover the stories of the people working in and passing through the station and courts, like Norwell Roberts, the first black Metropolitan Police Officer, as well as the famous and the infamous, such as; Oscar Wilde, the Pankhurts’ and many other Suffragettes, Dr Crippen and the Kray Twins and consider: What Crime? What Justice?
The Museum is open Friday – Sunday, 11.00 – 16.30 (last entry 16.00).
HOW TO BOOK
Tickets to visit the Museum and for any of our events can be booked online via our website. As a small museum, places at all our events are limited, therefore we recommend booking ahead to avoid disappointment.