Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

(The Story behind) 

Sweeney Todd

The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

There are not many people, that have not heard of  the story of Sweeny Todd the barber and his lovely sidekick Mrs. Lovett and her pie shop.(made popular by Tim Burton, Johnny Depp and  Helana Bonham Carter in 2007)

I can remember the first time I heard the store. It was from my uncles farther and he told us about his childhood in London before the second world war, his dad worked in a shop off of fleet street and and that when ever he and his brothers and  sisters, on him and his friends went to see him they had to walk down fleet street past first a pie shop then a barbers. When they got to each shop they would run as fast as they could past them so they would not get court by Mr. Todd or Mrs. Lovett.

There is some truth behind the barber and his cleverly hinged chair. His name was not Todd it was Jarman and he and his wife owned the Ostrich Inn in the village  of Colnebrook. Just up the road form where Heathrow airport is.
When a suitable guest presented him or herself at the Inn Jarman would show the guest to the ‘best room’ in the house and leave them a flagon of ale and a keg of ale or rum. Late that night he would slip into the room where the unsuspected guest had passed out from enjoying there nightcap. A sharp knife across the throat to make sure that once he pulled the lever for the bed to tip and send them throw a trap door and plunging into a huge cauldron  of boiling water in the kitchen below. Where they were then cooked up and served to unsuspecting customers.

When they were finally court due to not cleaning up after one guest, and the house that one guest, who had become a regular visitor, was still there after his master was have ment to have left. The local police found that at least 60 guest had left the hotel with out paying their bill,  all of which believed to have fallen victim to Jarman and his wife.