Tussaud claim - death masks of JTR victims

[Mike Covell]

There is a display on the Pendle Witches, who were imprisoned in Lancashire Castle in the Blackpool Tussauds. The keeper if the Castle and Lord Mayor of the town during the witch trials was Thomas Covell!!

[Victor]

Yes Gareth...and dont return.

Monty

You evil sod Monty.

Gareth, come back soon, your appalling puns will be greatly missed!

[Chris George]

I remember visiting the Louis Tussauds Wax Museum in Blackpool and venturing into the "Dungeons" there.
They had several notable horror icons, a car crash, a woman being chopped up in the bath and a "Jack the Ripper" display. I remember the Ripper being stood over his victim, whilst looking towards the path which takes you around the place. The funny thing is, he had his gladstone bag, cape and top hat!!

Hi Mike

I hate to introduce Maybrick into this thread but I am going to do so anyway, because your last sentence put me in mind of the reply that a contact on the Yo Liverpool forum sent me. I had emailed him because he had mentioned that he had worked as an electrical contractor. I am pretty sure he is pulling my leg with his reply though. What do you think??? See below

Chris

***********

You're not one of the electricians who rewired the Maybrick mansion on Riversdale Road are you and who found the Maybrick diary?

Chris

***********

Hi Chris

yes i was part of that team

found the diary next to a cloak, tall hat and a knife and half a kidney. initials on knife J.T.R

[Mike Covell]

Hi Chris

yes i was part of that team

found the diary next to a cloak, tall hat and a knife and half a kidney. initials on knife J.T.R

No watch found though? Wonder if the kidney was nise!!

[Chris George]

Hi Chris

yes i was part of that team

found the diary next to a cloak, tall hat and a knife and half a kidney. initials on knife J.T.R

No watch found though? Wonder if the kidney was nise!!

Oh, that proves he must be having me on if there was no watch!

[miss marple]

Information on Louis Tussaud

This is from a book I have.'Madame Tussaud 'by Anita Leslie and Pauline Chapman

''Another son, Louis and a nephew were completing their training as Modellers. The Exhibition had become to large and complicated to continue as a family business. In 1888. a year in which 400,000 passed through the turnstiles, Madame Tussaud was registed as a limited company five descendants of Marie Grosholtz being subscribers to the articles of Association. John Theodore was appointed chief artist and manager. Unfortunately her great grandsons had not heard the old lady's death bed exhortation. They quarrelled. Louis disliked the inevitable restrictions when Madame Tussaud ceased to be entirely a family business.He broke away to purchase a site on which he could create a new exhibition completely under his own control.Litigation followed, after which Louis was obliged to abandon this plan, but he set up a wax gallery in Regent ST intended to rival both Madame TUSSAUD'S in Marylebone rd ans MUSEE GREVIN IN Paris. His hopes were short lived. Within the year the regent ST exhibition was cosumed by fire. After this blow Louis continued to show in a small way in the provinces, but he never renewed any connection with the London exhibition, to serve which his father had had him carefully trained.
The ripper connection could have been a bit of 'puffery' from Louis to impress the Americans and they would not have known he was no longer connected to the business. Miss Marple

[Jane Coram]

Hi all,

Not a Tussaud's model as far as I know, but I found this pic somewhere in my travels and it is supposedly a wax model of Liz Stride. I know that there were quite a few wax tableaus around at the time of the murders, although God knows what they were like, but this one doesn't look too bad a representation of Liz.

Anyone got any information on it?

Hugs

Jane

xxxx

[Sam Flynn]

Not a Tussaud's model as far as I know, but I found this pic somewhere in my travels and it is supposedly a wax model of Liz Stride... this one doesn't look too bad a representation of Liz.

Inded, Jane - in fact, it's so close to the mortuary photo (note the black "shroud" and the bedraggled hair) that I'm tempted to think that it was based on the photo itself, rather than taken - so to speak - from "life".

[revpetero]

Blackpool

Morning All,

I was in Blackpool yesterday and much to my fiancee and nieces disgust I enquired at Louis Tussauds regarding JtR death masks. The person I was speaking to (don't think i got the organ grinder) looked at me in bewilderment and didn't have a clue to what i refered.

Even though the person claimed to be in charge I am not convinced


Peter

[Mike Covell]

Morning All,

I was in Blackpool yesterday and much to my fiancee and nieces disgust I enquired at Louis Tussauds regarding JtR death masks. The person I was speaking to (don't think i got the organ grinder) looked at me in bewilderment and didn't have a clue to what i refered.

Even though the person claimed to be in charge I am not convinced


Peter

What is annoying about this Peter, is that I remember my father taking photo's of the display, and they are lost in his mountain of holiday snaps over the years!

I did contact Blackpool's Louis Tussaud's a couple of days ago, but have yet to recieve a reply.

I was reading through "Jack the Ripper, Murder, Mystery and Intrigue in London's East End" last night, whilst the wife was watching Britains got talent. Susan McNicoll mentions on that there was a JTR exhibit in Tussauds, but it was as recent as 1988. The display had both before and after casts of Eddowes head. But I cannot find the page!

[Mike Covell]

This just came from the Tussauds Museum in Blackpool,

Hi Mike,I'm not familiar with this exhibit but I've spoken to our Creative Development Manager and he does remember it so your memory serves you well!The 'Cameo' as it was described to me was withdrawn from exhibition over twenty years ago and sadly no longer exists!It sounds like you enjoyed the rest though?We hope to see you again soon.ps Don't have nightmares!!!David Newton

Ah well!!