The secrets of history's most famous, and infamous, characters are open to public scrutiny in an exhibition that aims to bring the past to life for the general public.

A chilling letter written in blood red ink from Jack the Ripper to a journalist reads: "my knife is nice and sharp, I can't wait to get to work".

A telegram received by a Russian steamer from wireless operator Jack Phillips aboard the sinking Titanic reads: "we are sinking fast, passengers being put into boats."

Treasure

The exhibits are among those being flagged up by the PRO following the official opening of its new Education and Visitor Centre on Tuesday, which aims to attract more visitors to see its "treasure trove" of historical documents.

Others include Shakespeare's will, in which he only leaves his wife his second best bed, Captain Bligh's official account of the mutiny on the Bounty and Guy Fawkes's confession, including two very different signatures taken before and after torture.

But while some documents support history's interpretation of its most notorious sons, others show famous characters in a much more human light.

The PRO's head of interpretation and exhibition curator, Dr Tracy Borman, explained that Shakespeare, while matchless in his gift for metaphor, simile and other flights of linguistic fancy, was more taxed when it came to matters numerical.

This is shown in the records of the dogged tax inspector who pursued him, which will be displayed this summer.

"We will be displaying documents which show him as a tax evader - he was pursued throughout the land," she said.

"You see him as a real man as opposed to a famous poet and playwright.

"It does tend to make extraordinary people ordinary, that's the beauty of public records."

The PRO lost its museum in the move to Kew from its former site in Chancery Lane in 1996 and has built the education and visitor centre as part of its contribution to the London String of Pearls Millennium Festival.

It aims to break the visitor mould of the national archive centre and attract more families, schools and day-trippers.

"Our typical visitor profile in the past has been the scholars, academics or retired family historians," said Dr Borman.

"But we want to bring in a lot more new visitors, families in particular and young people and people who have never heard of the Public Record Office and don't know what we are about.

"We have got so much general interest material we really are a treasure trove."

But while the centre will be a permanent fixture, many of documents will have to be regularly replaced to limit their exposure to light.

"A lot of the items are generic, we can replace them with similar items.

Titanic

"From the Titanic we have got several telegrams which were sent as it was sinking, some mention the iceberg," said Dr Borman.

"We are going to have to keep the exhibition very fluid and very innovative because we are only able to display the most fragile items for three months."

Some items, such as the 1324 wage account of a man known as Robin Hood, have not been on display before, most have not been seen for a long time and this is the first time they have all been brought together under one display.

But the documents that the PRO has in its possession are not limited to the deep and distant past.

They range from the oldest public record - a copy of the Magna Carta - to more recent files including the deed poll by which Reginald Dwight changed his name to Elton Hercules John.

Albert Square

"Everybody will have heard of at least some of the names covered by the displays," said Dr Borman.

Her own personal favourite is an 1871 census of the real Albert Square in the East End, which lists most of the inhabitants as fallen women or sailors.

Future exhibits will include Shakespeare's tax escapades, the trial of Anne Boleyn and a 1608 map of Virginia with a sketch of Pocahontas.