crimesandcuriosities:

UK HOUSES OF HORRORS: THEN & NOW

[1] Although Ian Brady and Myra Hindley are renowned for murdering and burying most of their victims on Saddleworth Moor, 17 year old Edward Evans and 10 year old Lesley Ann Downey were both killed at the home pictured above. 16 Wardle Brook Avenue in Hattersley, Manchester was searched by police and Edward’s body was found along with the hatchet used to beat him to death. A tape was also found containing Lesley Ann Downey’s terrifying last moments, during which she begged to be returned to her mum. There were also photos of her naked, bound and gagged located in a suitcase at the property. The house was demolished in 1987 and there now remains a space where it once stood.

[2] Fred and Rose West murdered at least 12 young girls and women between 1967 and 1987. After police searched their property, 8 were discovered buried in the cellar and under the paved garden at 25 Cromwell Street, Gloucestershire. Bought in 1973, the cellar was used as a physical torture chamber where the couple would also inflict brutal sexual assaults upon the girls. The top floor was used by Rose for prostitution, where she even invited men to rape her underage daughter, all the while claiming she was 16; Rose would be present during the rapes to ensure that her daughter did not disclose her real age. The body of their other daughter, Heather, was amongst the 8 dug up at the address, and it emerged that the couple would often scare their other children by threatening “you’ll end up under the patio like Heather.” At present, the house no longer stands and has been replaced by a public walkway.

[3] Up until his arrest in 1953, John Christie murdered at least 8 women and hid them in various places at 10 Rillington Place (pictured above). Some were buried in the garden, while others were concealed beneath floorboards or hidden away in a secret alcove located in the kitchen. One of the victims was his own wife. Upon being discovered, John Christie was executed by hanging for his crimes, and 10 Rillington Place has since been demolished. A memorial garden has now been grown in the space where the house once stood.

[4] Between 1981 and 1983, Dennis Nilsen killed 3 of at least 12 male victims at his 23 Cranley Gardens in London. As a serial killer and necrophile, Nilsen was notorious for strangling or drowning his victims to death before sexually violating the corpses. He would also leave the bodies lying around in his apartment for days, even in his bed, before dissecting them and attempting to dispose of various body parts. It became a common practice for Nilsen to boil the heads of his victims in large cooking pots in order to remove the flesh, and then he would attempt to flush the remains down the toilet. After some time had passed, the smell of rotting flesh began to infiltrate Nilsen’s apartment, as well as the apartment underneath, and complaints were made. There were also complaints that the house’s drainage system had become blocked. Upon further inspection, the human remains were discovered and Nilsen was subsequently arrested. To this day, the apartment still exists and has since been renovated and resold. Following a lack of interest due to the dark history attached to the property, it was eventually sold in 2015 for almost £100,000 below the initial price.