London Serial Killers – The Blood and Tears Walk

Two miles, ten killers, and real emotion. The Blood and Tears Walk is a London serial killer walking tour led by Declan McHugh, author of Bloody London, mixing court history, graveyard dark corners, and on-the-spot audience challenges. You cover East End streets that many visitors never see, while the stories bounce between brutal crimes and a surprising amount of dark humor.

I especially love the interactive format. You don’t just listen, you vote on horror movies, do quick profiling-style questions, and even take part in an alley “murder scene” moment. I also like how the tour threads major London landmarks, like the Old Bailey, through smaller, creepier side streets so the evening feels like a real route, not a list of facts.

One possible drawback: the pace is fairly brisk, and the tour covers about 2 miles in around 2 hours. If you have limited mobility or stamina, or you hate walking in the rain, this may not be the right fit, even if the stories are your thing.

Key highlights you should know

• Declan McHugh leads the walk from start to finish, and his storytelling is built around interaction, not monologues
• Old Bailey trial stops connect multiple killers and case themes to a single place most people only associate with famous crimes
• Jack the Ripper profiling at Hare Place includes the toughest question on the tour, with a real “try your best” vibe
• A “psychic experiment” in a narrow alley at St Dunstan in the West is the most atmosphere-heavy stop on the route
• A lighter detour on Printer Street turns horror movie debate into a fun break from the heavy subject matter
• End at the Princess Louise with a last story tied to forensics, plus book signing for Bloody London

What makes this London serial killer tour feel different

This is not the type of true crime tour where you’re handed a timeline and told to stay quiet. From the first stops, you’re pulled into the story format Declan uses, with short scenes, audience prompts, and moments designed to make you think like a profiler, not a spectator.

I like that it stays social. You’re in a small group (and it’s capped low), so you get real back-and-forth during the evening. Many guests also rave about how he keeps the mood dark without turning it into pure gloom, including those horror-movie questions where the group is clearly having fun.

The pitch is horror and dark history, but the value is in how the route connects places to behavior. You get courtrooms, hospitals, alleys, and streets that shaped what people knew at the time, and you learn why some cases caught attention while others lived in the shadows.

Price and pacing: where the value really comes from

At $27.74 per person for about 2 hours and roughly 2 miles on foot, the price is mostly paying for a guide who can manage pace, atmosphere, and a lot of stories in a tight window. It’s also notable that admission for the specific site stops mentioned is free, so you’re not paying separate entry fees while you’re walking.

The pace matters. The route is brisk because there are multiple serial killer themes packed into one evening, and you’re expected to keep moving. Add that the company specifically asks you to plan for underground delays and build in extra travel time, meaning you’ll want to arrive early rather than cutting it close.

Think of this as an evening walk for people who can handle steady walking and don’t mind rain or cold. If you’re coming to London with a “I only do gentle sightseeing” plan, you may feel rushed here. But if you want a compact, high-story-density route, this delivers.

Your guide: Declan McHugh and the interactive true crime style

Declan McHugh is central to the experience. He’s not only presenting cases, he’s steering what you notice, when you react, and how you answer questions during the walk.

You’ll see that interactive approach at multiple points:

• Horror movie voting and quizzes on Printer Street, including a top ten style question where he compares what men and women choose (and yes, it gets awkward in a funny way)
• Profiling-style questioning at Hare Place for the Jack the Ripper segment
• A psychic experiment setup in a narrow alley at St Dunstan in the West

The best part is that this format gives the tour energy. People who love true crime tend to like being asked what they think, not just hearing conclusions. The one caution I’d flag is that if you hate being quizzed at all, or you find a “question-answer” format too intense, you might prefer a more lecture-style walk. The tour is built around interaction, so that’s not a side feature.

Church of St. Bartholomew and Holy Sepulchre: bodies, institutions, and grim economy

The tour starts by going where the stories connect to place, beginning at the Church of St. Bartholomew the Great. Here you hear about an uncaught serial killer connected to two child murders, first involving a 6-year-old girl and then, years later, a 7-year-old girl linked to Barbican Station. The focus isn’t just the crimes, it’s the similarities the guide points out between the two cases and how a profile might be built from that pattern.

From there you move to Holy Sepulchre London, where the theme shifts toward the way dead people could be treated like an industry. The stop is framed as a sinister economics story, with mentions of grave-robbing and serial killing themes. There’s also a sharp point about doctors at St Bartholomew’s Hospital being willing to deal with people considered low-lifes, which helps explain why some wrongdoing was able to keep moving.

I like this start because it sets expectations. This tour isn’t only chasing famous names, it’s showing how institutions and society patterns can enable violence to hide in plain sight.

Old Bailey: courtroom drama, confession twists, and why trials mattered

Old Bailey is the emotional core of the route. It’s the Central Criminal Court, and Declan uses it as a pivot point for multiple killers and multiple trial arcs, including at least one case where a person appeared here twice. You also hear about a killer who sent an innocent man to death and later confessed to multiple murders of women, which gives the stop an immediate tension.

Then the stories shift to another terrifying thread: a serial killer associated with 13 women, terror stretching across five years. The tour keeps returning to the idea that the court process could both reveal and obscure what really happened, depending on the evidence and the system’s limits at the time.

Two additional trial themes are foreshadowed here too, with later stops returning to them. If you’re a true crime fan, you’ll likely enjoy how the tour lets you build connections as you go, instead of presenting everything in one lump.

One practical note: this part of London is easy to get lost in if you’re not paying attention. You’ll want to keep track of where you are and listen for the guide’s linking phrases, because later stops pick up earlier themes.

Printer Street to Red Lion Court: horror movies, Victorian twists, and a hard question

Mid-tour you get a “lighter” moment on Printer Street, which is exactly the kind of pacing trick that keeps a heavy tour from burning you out. Declan asks the group to vote on horror movies of all time and then shares his top ten choices from 23 years of running this walk. It also includes an intriguing detail about a movie that gets recommended by thousands of men, but apparently not a single woman, which turns into a fun way to talk about how taste and gender assumptions shape what people think is scary.

After that, the atmosphere swings back to Victorian dark history at Red Lion Court. You hear about a lesser known serial killer who murdered on two continents and lived in the area. The story is described as having twists and a question at the end that very, very few people answer correctly.

This stop is valuable because it does something most true crime tours skip. It pulls the spotlight off only the most famous figures and shows you the kind of case that documentary makers often leave out, even when the story is dramatic enough to fill a film.

Hare Place and the Jack the Ripper profiling test

Hare Place is where you feel the Jack the Ripper energy take over. The tour visits a spot just off Fleet Street associated with a Jack the Ripper suspect, and Declan explains why he believes that man was the Ripper. This isn’t presented like a casual theory, it’s framed as a profiling exercise, and you get a tough question to test how well you were following the logic.

The tour’s own description of this segment makes it clear that it’s the hardest question of the whole walk, with only a tiny fraction of attendees reportedly getting it right. That doesn’t mean you should stress. It means the guide is actively training you to pay attention to details, patterns, and reasoning, not just names.

If you like being challenged, this is a highlight. If you want a tour that never asks you to guess, you may find the pressure annoying. But for true crime travelers, the profiling format is usually the fun part.

St. Dunstan in the West: the alley psychic experiment

This is one of the most intense stops on the route. You enter St Dunstan in the West, described as a narrow, dingy, isolated alley that can feel like it’s tightening around you. Declan runs a psychic experiment there, setting up a murder scene and introducing a pair of serial killers who operated around the area.

The key word here is atmosphere. The guide warns that if you’re sensitive to mood and suggestion, you may feel shaken by the place, especially in the darker months. Whether you believe in psychic experiments or not, the practical takeaway is that this is a stop where you slow down, listen carefully, and let the setting do some of the work.

I think it’s a smart design choice. It balances the earlier court and graveyard themes with something more sensory. In a tour packed with facts, this stop gives you a moment of pure environment, which tends to stick in your memory.

Royal Courts of Justice and Portugal Street: jaw-dropping trial links

Next up is the Royal Courts of Justice. Declan doesn’t spoil what this section means as you arrive, and the stop is framed as interesting, mind-boggling, and jaw-dropping. Based on how the rest of the tour connects places to trial narratives, you should expect more of that “how the justice system shaped the case” feeling.

Then the tour moves to Portugal Street, where you hear about two more serial killer trial themes. One is associated with murders of 15 boys and men. The other is described as possibly the most dangerous woman in the world. Those descriptors are heavy, but they fit the tour’s pattern of making each stop feel like a chapter title.

Also pay attention to how the tour repeats trial themes across different stops. Old Bailey gets you oriented, and then the later stops reinforce the same court-connected cases in a more focused way. It’s a good way to turn scattered “facts about killers” into a clearer sense of why London’s courtrooms mattered.

The Princess Louise finish: a final forensics-linked story and a book signing

The walk ends at the Princess Louise, a pub famous for Victorian decor and a location that puts you near Holborn Underground station. This is a practical place to land after a brisk evening, and it also makes sense as a storytelling wrap-up.

The final serial killer story is framed as something you may not have heard in the books and documentaries people usually mention. Declan says the detail came from the head of forensics involved in the case, and that person came on the tour. That gives the ending a different flavor, because it’s not just about the crime, it’s about the practical tools used to understand it.

Declan also sells copies of his best-selling Bloody London book for £10 cash or Paypal and signs each book with a personal message. Even if you’re not a book buyer, you’ll probably find it a nice way to keep the conversation going after the last story lands.

Who should book this Blood and Tears Walk?

Book it if you’re into true crime, especially the kind that uses real places like Old Bailey, churches, and eerie alleyways as part of the storytelling. It’s also ideal if you like interactive formats, because voting, profiling-style questions, and the psychic experiment are major parts of the experience.

It’s also a good fit if you want something different from the standard London sightseeing loop. You’ll walk around the East End and side streets that many visitors miss, and you’ll get a compact “serial killer route” that’s designed to keep moving.

Skip it if:

• You need a slow, relaxed pace, because the tour covers about 2 miles in about 2 hours
• You don’t want to be asked questions in a group setting
• You’re easily upset by dark, violent subject matter
• You’re unwell, especially with a new persistent cough (the tour explicitly advises against attending if you have that)

Should you book this London Serial Killers Blood and Tears Walk?

If you’re the kind of traveler who wants more than headlines, I think this tour is a strong choice. The mix of courtroom stops, off-the-beaten-path East End streets, and multiple interactive moments makes it feel less like a repeatable script and more like a designed evening.

For the best experience, plan to arrive early, wear shoes made for steady walking, and bring layers for changing London weather. If you can handle a brisk walk and you enjoy being part of the story, you’ll likely find this one memorable for the right reasons, dark theme included.

FAQ

How long is the London Serial Killers – The Blood and Tears Walk?

It runs for about 2 hours.

How much does the tour cost?

The price is $27.74 per person.

What language is the tour offered in?

The tour is offered in English.

Where does the tour start and end?

It starts at Underground Ltd, Aldersgate St, Barbican, London EC1A 4JA, UK, and ends at 125 High Holborn, London WC1V 6AN, UK, near The Princess Louise pub at 208 High Holborn (Holborn Underground station is about 60 seconds away).

What age is the tour suitable for?

The minimum age is 12, and it is strictly enforced. Children aged 12-14 are with adults who are 15+.

Is the tour physically demanding?

The tour includes a fairly brisk pace to cover about 2 miles in the time given. It is suggested for people with moderate physical fitness.

What if the weather is bad?

It operates in all weather conditions, so you should dress appropriately.