This
piece of anti-architecture is important because it
no longer exists. It is a plaque in a walkway near
Tower Bridge. The inscription reads, "Site of
ancient scaffold. Here the Earl of Kilmarnock and
Lord Balmerino suffered 18th August 1746." This
is the site of the last public hanging in London.
It was the last because at the time hangings had become
spectator sports, and bleachers had to be erected
to accommodate the crowds. When the moment for this
double execution came, the audience leaned forward
en masse, causing the risers to collapse, killing
a number of people in the audience.
