Anyone know how similar/different London Walks "The Krays in London" and "The Unknown East End" are?

I'd go for the "Unknown East End" one personally. I know you asked about people who have done both and I have done neither, so I'm just going on what I read and what I know about east London, and I'm throwing out an opinion because I can :)

The Krays were really awful people. Absolute psychopaths who did terrible things to people, quite apart from murdering them. If you're down for that darkness, take the Krays walk. I know where it ends at the Blind Beggar pub and I don't think I'd really want to drink there, apart from a morbid curiosity.

The Unknown East End walk sounds much more positive. It sounds much more like it captures little bits of history of the area, without focussing on horrible things like you might find on a tour covering The Krays or Jack The Ripper.

ETA: Aside from my opinions, reading the pages for each tour, I don't think there will be much overlap. The Krays tour starts at Bethnal Green and ends at The Blind Beggar which suggests it stays in The Bethnal Green Road / Whitechapel Road area. The Unknown East End tour starts at Whitechapel and ends in Spitalfields so it's heading in another direction. You may see The Blind Beggar at the start of the tour as a Krays connection. The Ten Bells pub where this tour ends is a much better bet for an after-tour beverage than The Blind Beggar, which looks like an absolute dive.

I’ve taken the Unknown East End (although it was a while ago … maybe 10 years back). When I took it, we did not walk up to Bethnal Green. We covered more of the area around Whitechapel. I can’t remember the details, but I took this tour on the same trip that I took the Old Jewish Quarter walk and there was a bit of overlap between the two. I am thinking that they both covered Brick Lane or Spitalfields area.

It looks like the Krays tour is in the morning. Just ask your guide if they think there will be too much overlap with the East End tour.

Yes the Krays tour starts at Bethnal Green. Sounds like they cross the road to York Hall as the first stop probably.

[edit to correct my Krays trivia knowledge: The twins boxed at The Repton, not York Hall, which is also right near Bethnal Green tube station.]

personal opinion only - I wouldn't give the Krays the oxygen of publicity or even think of them. Absolutely monsters who should be wiped from history.

Nigel: I second that emotion.

GerryM: IMHO the Blind Beggar is awful. Grubby and unfriendly. Dirty glasses. Stinky “beer garden” with lots of hard core smokers. It’s a half block from where I’m living at the moment - we popped in once, and left before I had finished my (expensive, crap) Malbec.

I don’t have info on the walks, apologies. Just wanted to chime in on what others had said with respect to the Krays and that pub.

IMHO the Blind Beggar is awful

I've never been in it but I guessed it would be bad from the exterior. There's probably a few pubs down that way that I'd be wary of as a stranger, but I don't have real first hand knowledge that maybe you do if you live down there now.

GerryM -

:-)

Both the White Hart and the London Hospital Tavern (both basically across the street from the Blind Beggar, but in different directions) are much better. Both are clean, friendly, lively locals. We enjoy them both!

Hi GerryM,

I really appreciate you taking the time to offer your local knowledge of the area to formulate an educated guess at the differences between the tours

I also thank you for your input on the Krays themselves, and for sharing your thoughts with me. I can appreciate where you're coming from. I'll give your words some thought in the time between now and when I have to decide whether to sign up for the tour.

Your assessment of the Blind Beggar is duly noted and I will likely stop in at a different pub! :-)

Let's not forget the contributions of Volva, Nigel and Laura!

If you're a big true crime fan the Krays walk may appeal. If your only connection is the movie and the Kemp brothers, you might find that some of the content of the walk is somewhat more disturbing than the movie, which goes quite a long way to glamourise and sanitise them if I remember correctly.

I’d go with The Krays because I’ve done several of Adam’s walks and they’re all excellent

Thanks for the reminder to thank Volva, Nigel and Laura!

Thank you to all who chimed in, including Dale.

It's always good to hear others' input, even (or maybe especially) when it is at odds with what I was already thinking. Truly. :-)