Netflix’s latest documentary, Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story, has sparked renewed interest in the grisly legacy of 25 Cromwell Street, the notorious house where Fred and Rose West committed their heinous crimes. The Wests, infamous in British criminal history, were responsible for the abduction, abuse, and murder of at least 12 young women and girls, with many of the atrocities taking place within their Gloucester home.
This chilling three-part series features previously unreleased police footage, unheard audio recordings, and candid interviews with victims’ families, offering a deeper understanding of the case and the couple’s dark past.
The couple’s reign of terror lasted from 1967 until 1987, when their crimes were tragically uncovered after their children revealed that their sister Heather West had been buried beneath the patio. This revelation led to a police excavation of the property, uncovering multiple burial sites and exposing the full scale of the Wests’ brutal acts. The Cromwell Street house quickly earned the grim nickname the “House of Horrors,” attracting morbid curiosity from the public.
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Following their arrest in 1994, Fred West was charged with 12 counts of murder but died by suicide in prison before standing trial. Rose West was convicted of 10 counts of murder and remains incarcerated, consistently maintaining her innocence despite failed appeals.
In an effort to prevent Cromwell Street from becoming a macabre shrine, Gloucester City Council ordered the demolition of the property in October 1996, just two years after the Wests’ capture. The house was completely razed, and the debris was securely incinerated to ensure that no parts of the house were preserved as souvenirs by onlookers. Today, the site is marked only by an alleyway and a small green space, erasing the physical traces of the dark history associated with the location.
Before settling at Cromwell Street, the Wests lived at 25 Midland Road, another location referenced in the documentary. It was here that authorities discovered the body of Charmaine West, Fred’s daughter. This house remains standing and was sold at auction in 2000 for £57,750.
Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story is now available to stream on Netflix, revisiting one of the darkest chapters in British criminal history and the haunting legacy left behind by 25 Cromwell Street.