Wapping Old Stairs

Stairs with a gruesome history - What a whopper!
Location: Nr Wapping high Street
Description: If the tide is out you can descend the steps on to the riverbed, but be careful, as it is slippery.
These stairs have a gruesome history. Pirates were hanged nearby in Execution Dock and their corpses brought here so that they were washed over by the tide three times.
This caused them to be swollen and people said 'What a whopper!' - hence the name Wapping. It was also here that the notorious Judge Jeffreys was apprehended in 1689 when trying to escape to France disguised as a sailor. He was taken to the Tower, but died before he could be executed.
Tours: The Doctor Whoish tour of London
Tours: m
Tours: Dark London
Tours: Pirates and penthouses at the old London Docks
Themes: Subterranean


Stairs with a gruesome history - What a whopper! |
Ranking This Month: 1891/3024
Pages Hit This Month: 42
Your Comments:
Other places nearby:
TV on the South Bank», 2.0km
London's Public Stalactites», 3.0km
The Boat Race», 9.1km
Islington Tunnel», 2.7km
Farting Lane's Sewer Lamp», 2.5km
Clapham North's Bomb Bunker», 3.9km
St Katherine's Dock Marina», 0.5km
Dick Turpin's Cave», 12.km
Thames Ironworks», 3.1km
Albion Disaster Memorial», 3.7km
Location Pinpointed:
Open Street Maps», Google Maps»