The Museum of London has debuted a new exhibition where, for the first time, a selection of items used in notorious crimes have gone on display to the general public.

Taken from Scotland Yard’s ‘Black Museum’ – previously only open to serving police and select guests since its formation in 1874 – The Crime Museum Uncovered displays evidence from real-life crime cases, taking visitors on a journey through some of the UK’s most notorious crimes. These include the cases of the Acid Bath Murderer (1949), the Great Train Robbery (1963), the Krays (1969) and the Millennium Dome diamond heist (2000).

The exhibition also looks at the challenges faced in policing the UK capital of London, tackling themes from terrorism – notably the activities of the IRA – and espionage, to counterfeiting and narcotics.

“Previously the exhibition was there as an educational tool for our own staff,” said Martin Hewitt, assistant commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police Service speaking to Attractions Management at the exhibition’s launch.

“Now we’ve had to look at it from a public perspective, deciding what we want to put there and how we tell them. A lot of, if not all of these are quite challenging stories. There’s a lot of trauma and distress for people in all of those stories. It’s been really fascinating making that point we want to make, makes people think about these issues, without it stepping across the line for something that’s not appropriate for public consumption.”

The exhibition has been curated and delivered by the Museum of London with the support of the Metropolitan Police Service and the Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC). In addition, GuM handled exhibition design, Thomas Manss & Company were graphic designers, Mer Services were contractors and Cosmic Carrot produced AV elements.

“We are a social history museum, we tell the story of London,” said Sharon Ament, director of the Museum of London. “This collection is a very important part in the history of London. It’s an area that isn’t often covered by museums or looked at in detail by exhibitions. It’s a subject that is often a little bit uncomfortable but museums shouldn’t shy away from the uncomfortable. This collection has never been seen by the public before and is filled with objects that tell moving emotive stories and stories that are really important to remember.”

The unique exhibition will be on display for six months. The Museum of London worked closely with the independent London Policing Ethics Panel and Baroness Newlove – the Victims' Commissioner – in the planning of the exhibition to ensure the interests of victims are protected.

Scotland Yard's 'Black Museum' to go on public display for the first time