South of the River: A Rotherhithe church and the Kray Twins downfall

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In this clip from Episode 1 of "Drifting Through the Streets," we explore how a South London church in Rotherhithe became the unexpected backdrop for the Kray Twins' downfall.

What began as a deadly feud between the Krays and Jack McVitie escalated into a brutal murder, setting the stage for the collapse of one of London’s most feared crime families.

On the rainy morning of October 29, 1967, Jack "the Hat" McVitie’s body was left wrapped in a blanket and abandoned in the back of his own Ford Zephyr outside St. Mary’s Church in Rotherhithe. His death was the culmination of rising tensions between McVitie and the Kray brothers. Lured to a party under the false promise of reconciliation, Jack never stood a chance. When Reggie Kray's gun jammed during the confrontation, he stabbed McVitie to death in a violent outburst.

In the aftermath, South London gangster Freddie Foreman was enlisted to help the Krays cover up the crime. Foreman arranged for McVitie’s body to be dumped at sea, but the murder had already set in motion a chain of events that would lead to the collapse of the Kray empire.

This short clip is an extract from "Drifting Through The Streets". A new series where Neil 'Controlled Weirdness' and Neil 'Transpontine' tell stories and tales around areas and locations of esoteric subcultural interest. Episode One is set in Rotherhithe, South London. As well as this Kray Twins tale we also tell some untold stories of the Sex Pistols early rehearsals in 1975 at a granary warehouse by the river. This alternative venue was originally called the Crunchy Frog as well as later being renamed Waterside and then the Warehouse Theatre. It was a rich local underground cultural hub in the 1970s and 1980s and was involved with a wide range of experimental music and theatre as well as some pre rave warehouse parties in the mid 80's.

The full episode and more info is here:


If you enjoy this video then please check out my podcast "Tales From A Disappearing City" which features other untold subcultural stories from past and present. Link below as well as other places you can find us.

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