Edward Lloyd was a British London-based publisher. His early output of serialised fiction brought Sweeney Todd, Varney the Vampire, and many romantic heroes to a new public – those without reading material that they could both afford to buy and enjoy reading. His hugely popular penny dreadful serials earned him the means to move into newspapers.
Portrait of Edward Lloyd, published in Journalistic London, 1882
Blue Plaque to William Morris and Edward Lloyd on the William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow. “Water House” was the Lloyd family home from 1856. Edward Lloyd's heirs gave part of the 100-acre estate to the people of Walthamstow in 1898 and it was opened as Lloyd Park in 1900.
Grave of Edward Lloyd in Highgate Cemetery
Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial The String of Pearls (1846–1847). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet Street, Todd murders his customers with a straight razor and gives their corpses to Mrs. Lovett, his partner in crime, who bakes their flesh into meat pies. The tale has been retold many times since in various media.
Justin Gaudoin and Phyllis Davis in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at the Wharf Theater, June 2018
