On a blustery autumnal morning, (prophetic pathetic fallacy anyone?), we set out on an exciting adventure to the True Crime Museum in Hasting. We had previously heard tales of the morbid exhibits on show had heard anecdotes of sheer terror and, notwithstanding, the reasonable price of entry.
With that in mind, we drove the 50 odd miles from Surrey to West Sussex, battered by squalls and rains along the way. On arrival, we were presented by wind assaulted grannies (ahem), tossing ships and tumultuous seas, which would, no doubt, ‘Turner’ few heads.
We found the black fronted building, (thank you google maps) which aside from it’s colouring, looked like any other Georgian building across this seafront. It was hiding in plain sight, a portal to another, darker world. We went fearfully through the doorway and we were presented with a rather benign looking giftshop: if you ignored the faux-blood spattered objects. Sanitised slaughter was the mainstay of this place and the cashier, far from being some death-toned guardian of the underworld, was incredibly helpful and kind. We paid, we entered, so far, so good-natured.
And then we really arrived.
The corridor’s brick walls, painted in ubiquitous black, were covered in tales of some of the world’s most heinous serial killers. From Wuornos to Gein, if you did not know their pasts, you’d assume they sounded like contributors to a science paper. Their stories were rendered in graphic detail. These words, however morbid, did not move us quite the same way as the later exhibits.
In the first room, there was a history of forensics and crime. From the Ripper to the forensic officer’s repertoire, we were treated to a timeline of events which helped shape our society, and its criminal custodians. Next to it, an interactive room where prospective investigators could test their skills.
Olfactory adventure: sniff and guess what it is. Having gone to university and honed my ability to discern going off, gone off and fresh foods, I was in my element: all but one was guessed correctly. Next, a memory test where you had to open a drawer, look for 10 seconds, then try to recall 10 objects (or 11 if you’re Gem thinking she saw a paperclip…). 7/10 correctly identified, The Met won’t be missing me anytime soon. Lastly, bite mark identification. This was a fascinating task, as several killers had been caught by their dental proclivities and peculiarities. I, alas, sucked at it and Gem excelled in identifying the fake killer of a church father.
The first part was great fun, a nice introduction to the identification, evidence gathering and skills necessary for police forces to capture those who commit crimes: lesson learned, next room. There was a massive gear change here.
On stepping into the room, an old cave carved into the very rockface behind the building, one was presented with a history of dog fighting: a terrible practice which continues even in the modern world. It was hard to decide which was worse, the depictions of Victorian dog fights or the weight training collars you can still buy on ebay to this very day. From dogs to burglary and theft of property. The tools of the burglar are as complex as any horologist, or like us horrorologists, and the ingenuity of the criminal mind, in spite of its use, had us in awe. We won’t spoil the surprise, but it’s amazing what you can do with bicycle spokes…
Up until this point, the crimes had been fairly tame. There were victims, yes, but not one of the objects had been attached to a murder: not so for the next lot.
Vats, hatchets and antimony: three words you never want to hear. Not unless it’s someone describing what they’ll never, ever use on you…or buy you for valentine’s day. Needless to say, worth a visit just for this.
New room, new crimes. From the resourcefulness of football thugs (who knew a sharpened coin could be such an effective weapon) to the temerity of the mafia (cough up or double coffin down), we were invited to view all manner of real objects used in the harm of others. That’s the interesting reality, on the one hand a fascination for us, ‘law-abiders’, with true crime, on the other, trying to retain in mind always the victim.
We felt, and indeed still feel, places like this are important. Not only from an educational or, dare we say entertainment perspective, but to impress upon people the importance of vigilance, of reporting crimes and of the pivotal role evidence and the police play, in the capture and incarceration of criminals.
Soapbox speech done; we went into the ‘art’ room. For me, this was quite possibly the most harrowing part. The walls were festooned with original pieces of ‘art’ from convicted felons, accompanied by the stories of their crimes. Once again we won’t spoil it for you, but if you manage to make it down to The True Crime Museum, make sure you have a read of the Nightstalker’s letters, they are truly terrifying.
The last room we entered was quite atmospheric, figuratively and physically, and both I and Gem felt a temperature drop. On one side the decapitated head of a French rapist and murderer, on the other a gurney manufactured in the Phillipines for the tying down and execution of death row inmates. In the space of 2 metres, 200 years of capital punishment was made manifest. We stood, we absorbed, we speedily left.
Our macabre tour over, we silently walked back to the gift shop and brooded over what we had learned.
All in all, the trip was a fantastic one, The True Crime Museum effectively educated first by interaction and then latterly by stark impression. Each area was carefully categorised and well thought out and the exhibits clearly shown. If you fancy having your mind boggled, have a look at the false leg in the bear trap and try to come up with a likely story. Curiously, there was every slice of demography there, from elderly octogenarians, in love twenty-somethings and even families with young children. The museum really brought home the tangible nature of crime, in a way that the documents we rely on so heavily for research, do not.
So, if you’ve got a free few hours in the coming weeks or months, head down to Hastings and have a gore-geous time.
More information can be found here https://www.truecrimemuseum.co.uk/