Mob Town – East End Heroes and Villains

Mob Town

Drawing from his recent book ‘Mob Town: A History of Crime and Disorder in the East End’, John Bennett introduces us to some of the villains, anti-heroes and peculiar criminal characters associated with this unique part of the Capital across several centuries.

From noted early figures such as Dick Turpin, Ikey Solomons and Joseph Merceron, via the quirky ‘Spring-heeled Jack’, ‘Black Ghost’ and ‘Cast Iron Poll’ to more recent ‘notables’ like the Krays and George Davis, this talk explores the many facets of the East End villain, both notorious and obscure.

John Bennett is a tourguide and author on various elements of East London history. His previous books include E1 – A Journey Through Whitechapel and Spitalfields, Jack the Ripper: The Forgotten Victims (with Paul Begg) and Krayology.