NETFLIX UK DARK TOURIST ATTRACTION. THE CRIME THROUGH TIME COLLECTION, LITTLEDEAN JAIL, FOREST OF DEAN, GLOUCESTERSHIRE : PEAKY BLINDERS FEATURED HERE AT THE JAIL . A GANGSTER INSPIRED FAMILY DRAMA TV SERIES ORIGINALLY SET IN 1919 & BEYOND IN BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND. IT IS CENTRED ON A VIOLENT CRIMINAL GANG WHO SEW RAZOR BLADES INTO THE PEAKS OF THEIR CAPS….

HERE AT THE CRIME THROUGH TIME COLLECTION, LITTLEDEAN JAIL WE FEATURE A VERY BRIEF, THOUGH INTRIGUING, INSIGHT INTO THE BACKGROUND OF THE REAL PEAKY BLINDERS ALONG WITH A BRIEF  EXHIBITION FEATURING   THE NOW ICONIC WORLDWIDE PHENOMENAL TV SERIES . 

WE HAVE A BIT OF PEAKY BLINDERS MEMORABILIA AND PERSONALLY HAND SIGNED PHOTOGRAPHS, ALONG WITH WEAPONS AND OTHER ASSOCIATED TOOLS OF THE TRADE HERE ON DISPLAY.

THIS  HAS NOW BEEN INTRODUCED AS A BIT OF A FURTHER VISUAL FEATURE , MIXED IN AND AMONGST OUR TRUE CRIME , GANGLAND AND MAFIA DISPLAYS…. BEING EN ROUTE THROUGH TO OUR KRAY TWINS EXHIBITION.

ANDY JONES OF THE CRIME THROUGH TIME COLLECTION WITH AN ORIGINAL MACHINE GUN HERE ON DISPLAY AT THE JAIL ,AS WAS USED IN THE VIOLENT SHOOTOUT BETWEEN TOMMY SHELBY AND LUCA CHANGRETTA IN THE PEAKY BLINDERS SERIES 4

Britain is a mixture of despair and hedonism in 1919 in the aftermath of the Great War. Returning soldiers, newly minted revolutions and criminal gangs are fighting for survival in a nation rocked by economic upheaval. One of the most powerful gangs of the time is the Peaky Blinders, run by returning war hero Thomas Shelby and his family. But Thomas has bigger ambitions than just running the streets. When a crate of guns goes missing, he recognizes an opportunity to advance in the world because crime may pay but legitimate business pays better. Trying to rid Britain of its crime is Inspector Chester Campbell, who arrives from Belfast to try to achieve that goal.

ABOVE: TOMMY SHELBY USING HIS MUCH FAVOURED PERSONAL WEBLEY 455 MK VI REVOLVER IN PEAKY BLINDERS .

BELOW: AN ORIGINAL WEBLEY 455 MK VI REVOLVER AS USED IN  PEAKY BLINDERS, HERE ON DISPLAY AT THE JAIL ….

BELOW:  An original Mauser C96 Broomhandle pistol. This being carried and used by Cillian Murphy starring as Thomas Selby (see below) and also Billy Kimber’s bodyguards in the Peaky Blinders TV Series….

BELOW :  Thomas Selby with  a Mauser C96 Broomhandle pistol carried and used in the TV series Peaky Blinders ….

BELOW: Original Luger pistol as featured in the Peaky Blinders TV Series …

BELOW: AN ORIGINAL BRASS AND CAST STEEL BLADE KNUCKLE DUSTER AS USED BY THE ORIGINAL PEAKY BLINDERS AND BILLY KIMBER’S BIRMINGHAM BOYS GANG .

BELOW:  Original ” no holds barred ” WW1 US 1918 stamped knuckle duster ” trench knife ” issued to the British troops during the brutally violent WW1. These  would also more than likely have been  carried and used by the original Peaky Blinders, Charles Sabini, Billy Kimber and other violent street gangs at the time as a much favoured and tool .

Most likely these weapons are still used today throughout the world as a violent weapon by debt collectors, street gangs and others ????

ABOVE: Peaky Blinders have arrived here at The Crime Through Time Collection and now form an integral feature in and amongst our True Crime , Murderabilia, Gangland and Mafia exhibition areas here at Littledean Jail, Forest of Dean , Gloucestershire, UK. 

ABOVE AND BELOW : Here’s a brief look at some of the many original hand signed memorabilia photographs of the leading cast members to include Cillian Murphy starring as Thomas Shelby and other Shelby family members, Tom Hardy starring as Alfie Solomons along with all other main characters (both  Ladies and Gentlemen… )

BELOW: Signed and inscribed photograph  “By order of the Peaky Blinders ” by Paul Anderson, in the lead role of Arthur Shelby . 

This is one of a great many personally signed photos of the various cast members of the hit television series “Peaky Blinders” here on display at the jail 

ABOVE: AUTHENTIC SIGNED PROMOTIONAL PIECE BY CHARLOTTE RILEY IN THE ROLE OF MAY CARLETON ( MARRIED TO TOM HARDY IN REAL LIFE ) HERE ON DISPLAY .

ABOVE: AUTHENTIC HAND SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH OF NOW ICONIC SCREENWRITER AND CREATOR OF THE GLOBAL HIT TV CRIME DRAMA SERIES PEAKY BLINDERS… STEVEN KNIGHT

ABOVE: An original oil painting here on display at the jail, depicting Cillian Murphy as Thomas Shelby from the TV series Peaky Blinders . Painted by Gloucestershire artist Paul Bridgman .

ABOVE: An original oil painting here on display at the jail, depicting some of the infamous  Shelby family featured in the TV series Peaky Blinders . Painted by Gloucestershire artist Paul Bridgman .

ABOVE AND BELOW: Just a brief insight into some of the exhibit items here on display

BELOW :  Original oil painting of Peaky Blinders Jeremiah Jesus portrayed by Benjamin Zephaniah here on display .

ABOVE AND BELOW : Benjamin Zephaniah in the role as Jeremiah Jesus in the hit TV Series Peaky Blinders .

NOTORIOUS AMERICAN KILLER CLOWN AND RAPIST JOHN WAYNE GACY. ALSO KNOWN AS POGO THE CLOWN. HE MURDERED AT LEAST 33 TEENAGE BOYS AND YOUNG MEN AND WAS EXECUTED BY LETHAL INJECTION IN 1994 .

DARK TOURISM HERE IN THE UK – WHERE GOOD AND EVIL COLLIDE & WHERE FANTASY MEETS REALITY .

TRUE CRIME , MURDERABILIA, WITCHCRAFT, SATANISM AND THE OCCULT …. IT’S ALL HERE AND MUCH MORE ON DISPLAY AT THE CRIME THROUGH TIME COLLECTION , LITTLEDEAN JAIL, FOREST OF DEAN , GLOUCESTERSHIRE , UK .

John Wayne Gacy, Jr. (March 17, 1942 – May 10, 1994), also known as the Killer Clown, was an American serial killer and rapist. He sexually assaulted and murdered at least 33 teenage boys and young men between 1972 and 1978 in Cook County, Illinois.

ABOVE: Original painting by Gloucestershire artist Paul Bridgman of John Wayne Gacy on display at Littledean Jail .

All of Gacy’s known murders were committed inside his Norwood Park, Illinois home. His victims would typically be lured to this address by force or deception, and all but one victim were murdered by either asphyxiation or strangulation with a tourniquet (his first victim was stabbed to death). Gacy buried 26 of his victims in the crawl space of his home. Three further victims were buried elsewhere on his property, while the bodies of his last four known victims were discarded in the Des Plaines River.

Convicted of 33 murders, Gacy was sentenced to death for 12 of these killings on March 13, 1980. He spent 14 years on death row before he was executed by lethal injection at Stateville Correctional Center on May 10, 1994.

Above: Police mugshots of John Wayne Gacy .

Gacy became known as the “Killer Clown” due to his charitable services at fundraising events, parades, and children’s parties where he would dress as “Pogo the Clown”, a character he devised himself.

BELOW : Various exhibit items to include one of Gacy’s “Pogo The Clown ” suits , handwritten and signed correspondence , a hand painting and various other memorabilia, all of which is on display here at The Crime Through Time Collection , Littledean Jail , Forest of Dean , Gloucestershire, UK .

ABOVE AND BELOW : One of  John Wayne Gacy’s  original worn clown suits. There are two other known Gacy clown suits on display  at The National Museum of Crime , Washington DC , USA .

BELOW: picture of 2 other Gacy clown suits, on display at The National Museum of Crime, Washington DC ….. Previously owned ( not sure if he still owns them )  by Jonathan Davis, lead singer of American Heavy Metal Band “Korn .”

ABOVE: John Wayne Gacy pictured in jail, so say,  shortly before his execution by lethal injection

 

 

R.I.P. BERT “BATTLES” ROSSI…. BRITAIN’S FORMER OLDEST LIVING LONDON GANGLAND BOSS, WHO PASSED AWAY AT HIS HOME ON 2 JULY 2017, AGED 94. THE UK’S EQUIVALENT TO AMERICA’S MAFIA “BOSS OF BOSSES” AL CAPONE . HE WAS ALSO THE MENTOR AND TRUSTED FRIEND TO THE KRAY TWINS AND A GREAT MANY OTHERS …

BELOW DOUBLE PAGE ARTICLE PREVIOUSLY FEATURED IN THE SUNDAY PEOPLE NEWSPAPER IN 2016……

BRITAIN’S OLDEST FORMER GANGSTER  REVEALS ALL…. AGED 93 AS EXPECTED THIS STORY , FORTHCOMING BOOK AND INEVITABLE FORTHCOMING DOCUMENTARY AND POTENTIAL FILM WILL GO GLOBAL  IN 2017…. FOR SURE

BELOW : BERTS “BATTLES” ROSSI’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY NOW ON SALE THROUGH VARIOUS OUTLETS INCLUDING AMAZON ….

BRITAIN’S REAL LIFE EQUIVALENT TO AMERICA’S GANGLAND BOSS  ” AL CAPONE”  WHO WAS ACTIVE DURING THE 1950’S  AND BEYOND.

KNOWN TO MANY AS THE “GENERAL OF CLERKENWELL” , LONDON ,  ALSO TRUSTED FRIEND  AND MENTOR TO THE KRAY TWINS …  “BERT “BATTLE” ROSSI ”

HE WAS CLOSE FAMILY FRIEND AND ASSOCIATE TO THE ITALIAN MAFIA ORGANISATION  … THE GAMBINO CRIME FAMILY , WHO ARE OF COURSE WELL KNOWN AND FEARED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, EVEN TODAY….

ABOVE : A RECENT MEET UP BETWEEN BERT ROSSI AND ANDY JONES OF THE CRIME THROUGH TIME COLLECTION , LITTLEDEAN JAIL , WHEREBY BERT PRESENTS ANDY WITH HIS OWN  PERSONAL  PAUL LAKE LIMITED EDITION PRINT SIGNED BY RON AND REG KRAY . THIS FOR DISPLAY AT THE JAIL WITH A FORTHCOMING BRIEF EXHIBITION ON HIMSELF …..  THIS TO COINCIDE WITH THE RELEASE OF HIS FORTHCOMING BOOK ….. WATCH THIS SPACE FOR FURTHER DETAILS …… BELOW IS THE SIGNED PRINT ON DISPLAY AT THE JAIL

COMING SOON …. THE UNTOLD STORY OF BERT ROSSI ,WHO IS TODAY , AT THE GRAND OLD AGE OF 92 , THE UK’S  OLDEST LIVING GANGSTER

FOR ALL THOSE WHO ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE NAME …. MORE INTIMATE DETAILS OF HIS INCREDIBLE LIFE AND TIMES ARE TO BE PUBLISHED FOR THE FIRST TIME OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS …..

A BRIEF MEMO FROM BERT …..  FOR ALL THOSE INTERESTED IN THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BERT “BATTLE” ROSSI …. AND FOR THE RECORD …. BERT AT THE GRAND OLD AGE OF 92 HAS INFORMED ME THAT HE HAS NOW ENTERED THE DIGITAL SOCIAL NETWORK ERA AND IS HIMSELF NOW ACTIVLY INVOLVED AND IN CONTROL OF HIS OWN FACEBBOK PAGE  HE PERSONALLY READS ALL THE COMMENTS AND AGAIN PERSONALLY INFORMS HIS FAMILY AS TO WHAT TO REPLY  FOR AND ON HIS BEHALF … FOR HIS FACEBOOK PAGE  (SEE HERE) .

PLEASE DO NOTE HE IS NOT ACTIVELY ON THIS SITE 24/7 AS HE HAS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT COMMITMENTS ELSEWHERE ….. INCLUDING HIS SOON TO BE RELEASED BOOK ENTITLED “THE GENERAL OF CLERKENWELL”  , WHICH IS HOPEFULLY DUE TO BE RELEASED IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS 2015, ALONG WITH  A DOCUMENTARY WITH TITLE ” BOMP” …. FOR WHICH VARIOUS TASTERS ARE NOW  AVAILABLE  BOTH ON OUR SITE HERE AND ON YOUTUBE . ALL AS HAS BEEN PERSONALLY AUTHORISED BY BERT HIMSELF.

INCONJUNCTION WITH THE FORTHCOMING BOOK LAUNCH AND DOCUMENTARY …. THE CRIME THROUGH TIME COLLECTION HERE AT LITTLEDEAN JAIL WILL BE STAGING A BRIEF ,BUT PERMANENT EXHIBITION ON THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BERT “BATTLE” ROSSI , IN AND AMONGST OTHER UK AND AMERICAN GANGLAND FIGURES …… WHICH WILL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FOR THE 2016 TOURISM SEASON .

THERE HAS BEEN AND CONTINUES TO BE AN EVER INCREASING MEDIA INTEREST IN BERT’S STORY … PARTICULARLY AS HE IS THE OLDEST LIVING FORMER GANGLAND BOSS ….. MOST RECENTLY FEATURED IN THE ONLINE NATIONAL CRIME SYNDICATION MAGAZINE BLOG ( SEE HERE )

 

HERE BELOW IS A RECENT (AUGUST 2015 ) , VERY BRIEF INSIGHT VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH THE NOW 92 YEAR OLD FORMER LONDON MAFIA BOSS AND MENTOR TO THE KRAY TWINS

HERE BELOW ARE A FEW VINTAGE IMAGES OF BERT ROSSI WITH VARIOUS FACES FROM THE PAST

BERT ROSSI AGED 92

BERT ROSSI

BERT ROSSI

On a recent visit to the Bookies

Alex Steene-Jersey Joe Walcott

Bert and Big Albert Dimes

Bert Rossi ,billy Hill , Ruby Sparks and Frank Fraser

Bert with picture

Bert , Albert and Lord and lady Docker

Bert , Billy Hill and Lady Docker

Krays boxing -pose -1953

Willie Pep

Bert “Battle ” Rossi aged 92 , July 2015

Andy Jones of the Crime Through Time Collection with Bert “Battle” Rossi at a recent get together