A Guide to Dark Attractions in the UK
Discover a darker side to our British history
Inside the book
- Discover over 300 dark tourism attractions across Britain.
- Visual maps pinpointing dark tourism sites in the South of England, Midlands, North of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the capitals of Edinburgh and London.
- Addresses of each site to direct you to the exact place.
- Photographic images of many of the places written about
- 5 future attractions with double page spread.
- Additional information on different periods of time.
- Websites for further information and guidance.
Locations
With over 300 dark tourism sites and artifacts included, you’ll discover:
- Littledean Jail, once a Georgian jail, now used to exhibit memorabilia of some the world’s most infamous criminals
- A network of secret government bunkers, such as Kelvedon Hatch, to be used in the event of nuclear war
- A hidden 13th-century crypt beneath the village church of Rothwell in Northamptonshire, which contains the remains of 2,500 people
- The Oaks Colliery Disaster 1866 memorial, which remembers England’s deadliest coal-mining disaster
- A memorial to Alice Nutter, one of twelve accused in potentially the most famous witch trial to take place in Britain
- The 16th-century legend of the Sawney Bean family, who ambushed and murdered their victims before eating them
- The bloodstain of Holyrood Palace dating from 1566, when Mary Queen of Scots’ secretary was murdered by her husband
- How the citizens of Northern Ireland have remembered historical events through artistic murals
Plus, many more places to be discovered at the turn of a page…
Images featured:
Steel workshop, The Coffin Works (13-15 Fleet St, Birmingham B3 1JP) (Image Credit: Coffin Works Museum).
St Michael's Church & the Nine Men of Madeley (St Michael's Parish Church, Church Street, Telford, Madeley, Shropshire, TF7 5BN) (Image Credit: Courtesy of Shropshire Caving & Mining Club Archive).
Shrewsbury Prison (The Dana, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY1 2HP) (Image Credit: Shrewsbury Prison Ltd).
International Bomber Command Centre (Canwick Avenue, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN4 2HQ) (Image Credit: International Bomber Command Centre).
Eden Camp (Malton, YO17 6RT, North Yorkshire) (Image Credit: Eden Camp Modern History Museum).
George Marshall Medical Museum (Charles Hastings Education Centre, Charles Hastings Way, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR5 1DD) (Image Credit: Lee Allen photography, With thanks to the George Marshall Medical Museum).
Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker (French Lane, Baddington, Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 8BL) (Image Credit: Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker).
Meet the author, Leon McAnally
It was while studying travel and tourism at the West Suffolk College in Bury St Edmunds that I first heard of the term 'dark tourism', referring to visiting places linked to death, suffering, and tragedy. I continued my studies on the topic at the University of Northampton.
I have visited numerous dark tourism attractions such as the concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland and the Catacombs of Paris in France. And explored places in Britain, like the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool and Rothwell Bone Church in Rothwell village in Northamptonshire.
It was my passion for dark tourism that led me to write a guide to dark attractions in the UK. I believe there are many overlooked sites that are an important part of our history.
"Remembering our past tragedies can help us deal with personal events and serve as a learning tool for society as a whole."
- Leon McAnally
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