The secrets of the Black Museum

Inside Scotland Yard’s infamous crime collection

For 150 years, the crime museum at Scotland Yard, known as the ‘Black Museum’, has maintained its allure as a forbidden treasure trove of historical artefacts from heinous crimes, including gruesome murders. Since its creation in 1875, its doors have remained firmly locked to the general public, as it has always been, and still is today, used for training new recruits to the police in the development of the methods and equipment of criminals over the decades.

The museum has moved several times in its history along with the Metropolitan police headquarters and, in 2016, it gained a refreshed space for its 2,000 artefacts in the Met’s new home on the Victoria Embankment just near Westminster Bridge in London. I’ve been trying to piece together the museum’s history, especially since I’ve had the privilege to see inside its infamous collection, which was quite an experience! Here’s what I encountered behind its doors…