So, who was John Austin?

John Austin - a highwayman - was the last man to be publicly hanged at Tyburn (near the modern-day Marble Arch) on 3 November, 1783.

If you didn't know this - join the club. I learned this today while I was at The Museum of London, photographing their cafe (with free wifi) for my project this week (check out my Blip from yesterday for the info on this!)

According to Wikipedia: "The site of the gallows is now marked by three brass triangles mounted on the pavement on an island in the middle of Edgware Road at its junction with Bayswater Road" - sounds like my next photo opp!

You can find out more about Tyburn right here.

But this wasn't the end of hanging - it continued behind closed prison doors until 1964. The authorities simply decided that it wasn't best done in public.