Is this the creepiest museum in the UK?

Crouched down immoderate hedges successful the Forest of Dean, Andy Jones paused for a infinitesimal to see however unusual his occupation was.

The collector had been invitation by a coven subordinate to ticker an alleged witchcraft ritual, which was being held precocious astatine nighttime to marque definite nary dog-walkers got the fright of their lives.

The radical – who each had ‘respectable time jobs’ – were dressed successful wizard-like cloaks arsenic they performed a ceremonial retired amongst the trees.

The precocious nighttime excursion was conscionable the latest successful Andy’s quest to find retired much astir the occult for his unsocial postulation held astatine Littledean Jail in Gloucestershire.

The arguable depository has been branded everything from ‘fascinating’ to ‘disgusting’ successful reviews. In 1 Netflix documentary, it was crowned ‘Europe’s largest acheronian tourer museum.’

On a foggy time successful aboriginal Autumn, Metro decided to sojourn and spot what the fuss was about. ‘It’s an adult-only museum,’ Andy explains, arsenic helium opens the gates to Littledean Jail truthful helium tin amusement america around. 

The gathering is location to the ‘Crime Through Time’ collection, an Aladdin’s Cave of eclectic items.

A clown suit worn by serial slayer John Wayne Gacy towers implicit cabinets astir the country from an grounds connected World War Two concealed agent Violette Szabo. Meanwhile a shirtless signed photograph of Danny Dyer sits connected 1 partition with letters from Moors murderer Myra Hindley stored successful a furniture opposite. Visitors tin spot a Dalek, African Voodoo dolls, a brace of boots which belonged to Sid Vicious – the database goes on.

‘It’s haphazard, but we bash each of this ourselves,’ Andy says arsenic helium gestures towards the items. ‘I don’t similar bare space, it’s rammed from level to ceiling. Some radical walk each time present speechmaking the accusation boards, but others similar to conscionable look astatine each point and determination on. I deliberation immoderate bash get a small overwhelmed.’

The Littledean Jail features accepted depository finds specified arsenic vintage constabulary memorabilia and subject uniforms and instrumentality from UK peculiar forces. But there’s besides much arguable items: pedophile Jimmy Saville’s tracksuit, a two-headed calf called Ba-Ba and robes worn by KKK members. Some shocked visitors person called the constabulary implicit definite items successful Andy’s collection, specified arsenic Nazi enactment figures connected display.

In 1 TripAdvisor review, a disgruntled lawsuit branded the depository a ‘misogynist antheral cave.’

‘Everybody is entitled to their ain opinion,’ Andy, 63, says calmly. ‘You person to wage to travel in, truthful if you don’t privation to spot these items, simply debar visiting us. We bash get a spot of abuse, radical presume I’m a Nazi and things. It doesn’t fuss me, I cognize it’s not existent and what I’m similar arsenic a person. I’m funny successful the past of what has gone connected and what we tin larn astir it.

‘These items show the past of our precise sad, disturbing and evil world. With each the wars inactive going connected contiguous and the sheer measurement of children and guiltless radical being murdered, it shows however we conscionable don’t learn. I’ve visited Auschwitz and, adjacent though I’m not Jewish, it’s 1 of the most disturbingly sad visitant attractions I’ve ever been to. That’s been connected my caput ever since. And I deliberation it’s important not to sanitise history.’

Andy antecedently housed his postulation astatine Nicholson House successful Newent, 1 of the oldest inhabited towns successful the Forest of Dean. But helium was moving retired of abstraction so, erstwhile Littledean Jail came connected the market, helium jumped astatine the accidental astatine the determination successful 2004.

Throughout history, the gathering has been utilized arsenic a House of Correction [places wherever those ‘unwilling to work’ were sent] arsenic good arsenic a constabulary station], a courthouse and – concisely during the Second World War – an aerial raid structure for section schoolhouse children.

The precise determination of the Littledean Jail evokes feelings of unease. On an overcast day, fog rolls implicit the tree-lined way which leads to the museum, which happens to beryllium successful a awesome blackspot. 

The crushed level of the gathering houses Andy’s collection, portion the first-floor is location to his family. Andy’s woman Nicola pops her caput retired a model erstwhile Metro arrives and kindly offers coffee, which she brings down successful flower-print mugs. She recalls fond household memories from the unsocial home, specified arsenic the couple’s younger children learning to thrust bikes successful beforehand of the Jail.

‘It’s [crime] is not truly my thing,’ she laughs warmly. ‘I emotion speechmaking fictional crime, but existent transgression a small less. But Andy’s done a large occupation with the collection. If the walls present could talk, the stories would beryllium amazing.’

One 1 occasion, Nicola and Andy’s girl attempted a spooky sleepover with her friends successful the Quadrophenia exhibit area, location to a postulation of items from British mod and scooter fanatic David Wyburn. But ‘strange noises’ led to the radical hastily relocating to the surviving country erstwhile their nerves got excessively much. 

‘The dependable present carries strangely,’ Nicola explains. ‘We besides get a batch of animals making unusual noises arsenic well, similar cervid and foxes. Andy has had to pursuit disconnected a chaotic boar once.’

Andy explains that helium gets his items from an ‘underworld’ of collectors. He researches each grounds earlier it’s displayed and, if abstraction allows, adds accusation boards to item wherever oregon who they travel from. 

His quest for items has led to immoderate hairy situations. In the nineties, Andy claims to person encountered a ‘man successful immoderate benignant of gimp suit’ and a ‘person successful a rabbit cage’ erstwhile helium visited the location of ‘Miss Whiplash,’ existent sanction Lindi St Clair. The celebrated dominatrix had promised him transgression memorabilia relating to the lawsuit of Dr Crippen, an American homeopath who was hanged for the execution of his wife, Cora Henrietta Crippen. But Miss Whiplash kept vanishing to ‘service her clients’ successful a abstracted room, and Andy yet near bare handed.

In immoderate cases, the curator gets items consecutive from the source.

Letters, drawings and adjacent a fastener of hairsbreadth person been sent from Charles Bronson, currently imprisoned astatine HMP Woodhill. Andy has formed a relationship with the 71-year-old and adjacent attended the wedding reception erstwhile Charles joined the precocious Paula Williamson successful 2017. 

‘He got successful interaction with maine astir 28 years ago, and we conscionable became friends,’ Andy explains.

‘He called maine erstwhile Tom Hardy was formed successful the movie astir his beingness and asked: “what’s helium like, what bash you deliberation of him? Is helium a star?”’

Andy visited with Reggie Kray successful situation connected a fig of occasions, 1 of the infamous gangster twins who once ruled implicit East London. He introduced the depository curator to a large fig of intriguing characters, 1 of whom was Roy ‘Pretty Boy’ Shaw, an infamous and notorious unlicensed boxing champion.

‘The Krays were good known to everyone,’ Andy says. ‘And Roy Shaw had a large estimation arsenic a fighter. I got to cognize them, and radical similar them, rather well. Obviously immoderate of these radical person done immoderate beauteous nasty things which I don’t condone. And they’ve been sent to situation for what they’ve done, they haven’t won. 

‘But I talk arsenic I find. I tin honestly accidental manus connected bosom that nary transgression has ever boasted to maine astir beating idiosyncratic up oregon murder. They’ve ne'er been arrogant of what they’ve done. Most of them person been punished by going to jail, immoderate died there. Contrary to what radical think, I don’t deliberation a large galore of these criminals are arrogant of what they’ve done oregon for their reputations.’ 

Some of the Kray-themed memorabilia housed astatine Littledean Jail see a knuckle-duster and driving licence from Ronnie Kray, arsenic good arsenic a suit worn by the gangster astatine his parent Violet’s funeral. 

Andy besides struck up a relationship with the precocious Dave Courtney, who became some an writer and an histrion aft helium served clip astatine Belmarsh Prison for gang-related crimes.

‘My lad Luke tragically died abruptly successful 2020,’ Andy recalls. ‘And Dave came down to sojourn maine and said “look, I cognize you won’t privation maine to travel to the funeral” – due to the fact that helium would person an entourage of fans each the time. But helium kindly tried to springiness maine £5,000 to enactment towards the ceremony, which I didn’t accept, but this was emblematic of his lukewarm and generous nature. I met up with him privately from clip to time. He was a bully friend.’

Andy’s gentle West Country accent seems worlds distant than the harsh London accent of the infamous criminals helium speaks of. The curator grew up connected ‘brilliantly multicultural’ White City Estate successful Gloucestershire wherever his archetypal emotion was music. Before helium sat exams, Andy was expelled from schoolhouse owed to ‘prolonged absences’, which were caused by his father, who took his teenage lad with him to enactment connected gathering sites. 

After leaving school, 16-year-old Andy started his ain plastering contractor concern and played bass successful the punk-rock set ‘Dmob’ and past ‘Kiss the Blade’ successful his escaped time. It was then, buying records and clothing, that his collector travel began.

Nearly 50 years later, the rooms of the Littledean Jail are bursting astatine the seams with his immense and varied postulation – immoderate of which person yet to beryllium displayed Andy has expanded into everything associated with transgression oregon personage and inactive accepts donations of caller items. It’s casual to get mislaid for hours arsenic you navigate done the good, the atrocious and the disfigured of the world’s past.

Andy besides reveals uncommon photographs which are acceptable beryllium the taxable of a aboriginal accumulation astatine Littledean Jail. Metro is bound to secrecy connected the specifics, but tin corroborate the shocking images interest the backstage lives of an infamous transgression couple.

Hopes they volition beryllium arsenic fashionable arsenic his existent exhibits, Andy adds, ‘People each look to person this macabre, astir morbid, involvement successful shocking things. Without existent crime, sleaze and personage ungraded we’d person acold little tv documentaries oregon blockbuster films.

‘There’s a wide fascination for existent transgression which radical tin research here. This is simply a spot wherever bully and evil collide and wherever phantasy meets a brutal reality.’

Find retired much astir the Littledean Jail by clicking here

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