whitechapel walking tour london

The original terror tour - established 1982

When, Where & How Much?

• 7 Chilling Nights a Week at 7pm
• Meet Outside Exit 1 of Aldgate East Underground Station
• £15.00 per person

Find out more Book your place

THE ORIGINAL JACK THE RIPPER MURDERS TOUR

A walk worth investigating.

Since Richard Jones began our Jack the Ripper Tour in 1982, we’ve always strived to offer the best walks in London. Today, with our unique combination of expert guides, who have written books on the case, our appearances on virtually every television documentary on the subject, our truly atmospheric route, our limited numbers, and our passion for the history of the East End, we really believe that we have achieved that objective, and what’s more, our customers seem to agree.

STEP INTO THE AUTUMN OF TERROR

As the night falls, and the long shadows reach into the darker recesses of the streets of Whitechapel and Spitalfields, our Original Jack the Ripper Crime Scene Investigation sets out  to join the Victorian police as they hunt history’s most infamous serial killer through the crooked, cobbled alleyways of the Victorian abyss.

Step by blood-curdling step, you will find yourself spirited back to the mean streets of the 19th century East End where every corner turned and every step taken will lead you further in to a murder mystery that has been baffling and terrifying people for more than 125 years.

VIEW BEFORE YOU DO – SEE US IN ACTION

A JACK THE RIPPER WALK LIKE NO OTHER

Guided by published authors.

Each night, lots of tours set out to explore the mean streets where the Whitechapel Murders occurred. But this is the one on which you will be taken round by guides who are published authors and who are internationally recognised as being amongst the World’s leading experts on the case.  Indeed, their collective contribution to the field of ripper studies is unsurpassed. 

Consequently, you will have seen us on almost every television documentary on the mystery over the last 20 years. Our guides have appeared on The History Channel, The Discovery Channel, National Geographic, BBC1, Sky One, ITV1, Channel Five and the Travel Channel, to name but a few.

Our guides know the subject of the Whitechapel Murders inside out and, as a result, they are familiar with every twist and turn of this fascinating case. You can, therefore, rest assured that, on our tour, you will be brought up to date on all the latest findings on the crimes.

OUR ACCLAIMED JACK THE RIPPER DOCUMENTARIES

We remain the only one of the Jack the Ripper tours to have made our own acclaimed documentaries on the mystery.

We like to give our clients a real insight into the area they will be exploring, as well as what lies beyond, so these videos are intended to give you a real feel for the East End as it was in 1888 and as it is now.

You can find some of them on our dedicated video page.

On these videos you will actually be able to see and hear the guides you will be joining, and you will, therefore, be in a position to make an informed decision as to whether or not you fancy spending two hours in their company! We feel confident to do this because we honestly believe that, once you see them in action, you will find their enthusiasm contagious and their knowledge inspiring.

And, having watched them on film, we hope that you will then wish to meet them in the flesh, so to speak, and invest two hours of your precious time in allowing them to lead you through the sinister streets of Victorian London on an exciting voyage of genuine discovery that will provide you with an unrivalled insight into the Jack the Ripper murders of 1888.

YOU’LL VISIT MORE OF THE MURDER SITES

Of course, you can be the greatest expert on the planet, but if you conduct a tour that visits very few of the actual murder sites, and which follows a route that takes participants along modern streets, lined by 20th century office blocks, then your clients aren’t going to enjoy their evening much and they are going to be left disappointed.

Indeed, after the quality of the guiding , the route that the tour takes is the most important ingredient for a truly memorable Jack the Ripper Walk.

That’s why we begin our tour of Jack the Ripper’s haunts at Aldgate East Underground Station.

This start point means that you can commence your investigation right in the heart of the area where the Ripper’s crimes occurred and are, therefore, able to follow a truly atmospheric route that was first paced out by Richard Jones in 1982.

On our walking tour you will be taken straight into the cobbled alleyways and dimly lit passageways that have hardly changed since those long ago nights when an unknown killer, lurking in the darker recesses, brought terror, panic and revulsion to the very thoroughfares that you will be exploring.

YOU’LL BE TAKEN BACK TO 1888

From the outset it will be as if you’ve been transported back in time to the 19th Century East End and, because our walk is structured like an investigation, you’ll get the distinct impression that you have joined the Victorian detectives as they race against time to catch Jack before he kills again.

And, because we follow a chronological route that begins with the first Whitechapel Murder, you will move through the events of that long ago autumn of gaslight and terror as they unfolded.

You will see how the people of the East End gradually came to realise the full danger posed by the monstrous maniac lurking in their midst and you will get a sense of the panic that gripped the area in the wake of each murder.

You will also gain an understanding of how, as the weeks went by, and the ferocity of the crimes increased, a surge of genuine terror coursed from the neighbourhood and sent shock waves reverberating through the whole of Victorian society.

THE THINKING PERSONS JACK THE RIPPER TOUR

This is, very much, the thinking persons Jack the Ripper Tour on which your questions and opinions will not only be welcomed but also encouraged.

We like to think of ours as being a guided discussion as opposed to a guided tour.

To that end you will, effectively, become a Victorian CSI as you visit the murder sites, sift the evidence, uncover the clues and, with the assistance of your expert guide, put the murders into the context of the streets and era in which they occurred.

You will gain a true insight into the problems that beset the original Metropolitan Police Investigation into the case, as the Victorian detectives pitted their wits against a cunning killer who was leaving no clues and who was able to use the warren-like complexity of the dark passageways and courts through which you will walk on the tour to escape from the scenes of his crimes.

OUR GUIDES ARE GREAT STORYTELLERS

Of course it’s one thing to be a World authority on a subject it’s quite another to have the ability to put your knowledge across in a thought provoking, entertaining and engaging way.

Our guides are born storytellers who realise that a quality tour must be both informative and entertaining.

Their descriptive abilities will bring the streets of Jack the Ripper’s London vividly to life whilst their dramatic approach will almost convince you that you are actually there in the Victorian East End of 1888 watching events as they unfold around you.

YOU’LL PERUSE VICTORIAN PHOTOGRAPHS

A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words – and so, as you explore the East End streets, your guide will pass out genuine Victorian photographs (several of them unique to this walk) that show the area as it was in 1888.

Imagine being able to hold and peruse old black and white images that show the locations where you are standing as they were at the time of the ripper crimes. It will almost be as though you’ve somehow been transported back in time!

You will have an unrivalled opportunity to compare your surroundings as they are now with how they were then and, in so doing, you will begin to understand why, at the time,  this area was known as “the abyss.”

Could there be a more powerful tool in your CSI kit than being able to actually inspect the murder scenes as they were at the times of the crimes?

Many of the photographs even capture the men, women and children who lived through the horror of Jack the Ripper’s murder spree. You will be able to look into their eyes and see the sheer terror and unease etched into their faces.

YOU’LL EXAMINE DOCUMENTS ABOUT THE CASE

In addition to our impressive collection of Jack the Ripper Photos you will also be able to examine documents relating to the case that will help build a powerful image of how the crimes were publicised by the Victorian authorities.

We’ll pass out facsimiles of the handbills that the police circulated in the area in the desperate hope that somebody might come forward with that elusive piece of information that would help bring the killer to justice and solve the case.

Chief amongst these documents will be the notorious Dear Boss letter, which bore the chilling signature Jack the Ripper .

It was the release of this letter that helped turn five sordid East End Murders into an international phenomenon whilst elevating the unknown miscreant responsible for those murders into the realm of legend.

Just Picture yourself scrutinising this letter, examining the handwriting and searching for something that may have been missed by the original investigators!

LIMITED NUMBERS FOR A BETTER TOUR

Unlike the large London walks companies we don’t believe in herding our clients around on an unwieldy cattle drive that might number 60, 70 or (on occasions) over 100 people all of whom are struggling to hear and see one guide.

We want you to enjoy the tour and so, to that end, we limit the number of participants to what we consider to be a sensible and manageable number.

As we like to put it, our tours are the ones that are heard not herd.

SO JOIN THE EXPERTS AND REVISIT THE TERROR

So, if you really want to enjoy an intelligent and thought provoking tour, one that visits more of the Whitechapel Murder sites than any other walk, then join the undisputed experts on the case, and let them lead you on a spine-tingling Jack the Ripper Tour through the old and atmospheric Victorian East End streets that formed the backcloth against which the ripper saga was played out.

But please be warned It will get dark and it might be foggy!

Dare you join the hunt?

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Our London tours start from Exit 3 of Aldgate East Station, seven days a week.

The gruesome tale of jack the ripper remains the greatest mystery in the history of crime..

Our Jack the Ripper Walking Tour in London is the only one to use RIPPER-VISION, the most modern handheld projectors with the latest unseen graphic Jack the Ripper crime scene photos. All our guides are dedicated Ripperologists and enthusiasts, and each one is a member of the Cloak and Dagger Club, a theatrical performance team who brings old crime history to life. This is the most up-to-date Whitechapel Jack the Ripper Tour anywhere in London, the most exciting, the most shocking, and a must for anyone who loves a good, gruesome mystery. So, join us as we walk you through the Jack the Ripper murders map - book your place today !

Our Itinerary

Osborne street, (scene of murder emma smith).

The Whitechapel murders were committed in or near the impoverished Whitechapel District in the East End of London between 3 April 1888 and 13 February 1891. The death of Emma Smith is the first to begin the Whitechapel murder file and a prelude to the emergence of Jack the Ripper. Hear the brutality of her murder and learn its importance.

Gunthorpe Street

(scene of murder martha tabram).

The scene that many experts claim to be the first Jack the Ripper murder is this cobbled stone laneway. It's a great starting point in our Whitechapel tour, as you can instantly feel the sense of a bygone era, gaslit streets, dark corners, and quiet footsteps in the night while the Ripper lay waiting for his victims. Learn how the death of this one woman began the Autumn of Terror.

Frying Pan Pub

(the death of mary ann nichols).

One of the last sightings of victim Mary Ann Nichols before her mutilated body was discovered in Bucks Row on the night of 31 August 1888. This building and its surrounding area provide a great insight into the social living conditions and the everyday fight for survival in London's East End. Learn what life was really like in Victorian London.

Hanbury Street

(scene of murder. annie chapman).

The body of Annie Chapman was discovered here in the early hours of 8 September 1888, her throat cut across, her body horribly mutilated. What clues did the killer leave? What does it tell us about him?

The Ripper Letters

See the emergence of Jack the Ripper in a series of penned letters sent to the central news agency during the Autumn of Terror; they were written in blood red ink and sent with half a human kidney. These letters have been subject to debate ever since. Are they hoaxes? Or are they the words of the killer himself?

Wilkes Street

Prepare to be transported back in time as we take you into the heart of Jack the Ripper’s London. Wilkes Street has remained practically untouched since those cold, gaslit nights of the 19th century, and the surrounding buildings will conjure up images of a bygone age. A time of darkness, a time of fear, a time of the Ripper.

The Death of Elizabeth Stride

Elizabeth Stride's (Long Liz) body was found in Dutfield's Yard off Berner Street in the early hours of 30 September 1888. Her death was only the first in a night that would forever become known as the double event. This was the night that could have revealed his identity. Find out how Jack the Ripper may have been caught so easily as we follow his blood trail and examine the clues.

Ten Bells and Christ Church

On the corner of Commercial Street and Fournier Street in Spitalfields stands perhaps the most famous pub in Ripper history: The Ten Bells. It is here that some, if not all, the victims frequented and perhaps even the Ripper himself. Across from the front door, a sight that would have greeted everyone associated with the Ripper case: Christ Church - this famous landmark was made famous by the movie "From Hell".

Mitre Square

(scene of murder. catherine eddowes).

30 September 1888 became known as the 'double event' when the Ripper killed twice in one night. We visit the original cobble-stoned square, investigate the evidence, and find out how the Ripper evaded capture. Hear the shocking facts about one of the Ripper's most violent crimes

Goulston Street

(a clue is found).

The night of the double murder left perhaps one of the most important clues in the entire case. What was it? Does it help solve the mystery?

Dorset street

(scene of murder mary kelly).

The Ripper's final victim was found in her small room of 13 Millers Court on 9 November 1888 and was the most savagely mutilated victim of them all. We visit the Mary Jane Kelly crime scene and recreate the final moments of the Ripper's reign of terror. Over a century later, the Jack the Ripper crime photos are very disturbing, and in the words of her Landlord, John McCarthy, "the whole scene is more than I can describe, and I hope I may never see such a sight again.”

Who Was Jack the Ripper?

Using modern criminal profiling, we reveal the man the Police should have been looking for throughout the biggest manhunt in British history.

• Tour starts in the very heart of Jack the Ripper, London
• Led by leading Jack the Ripper experts and enthusiasts
• Visit the actual murder sites and examine all of Jack the Ripper's victims
• Learn Jack the Ripper suspects, old and new
• See the latest photos that bring Whitechapel 1888 back to life
• Be amazed at Ripper-Vision - our latest handheld projectors and Jack the Ripper victim pictures
• Be shocked and terrified at the crimes of Jack the Ripper
• The most modern and original Jack the Ripper tour in London

Q: When does the Jack the Ripper Tour start?

A: Our tours start at 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm sharp, with the meeting point just outside Exit 3 of Aldgate East Station (on Whitechapel High Street) by the Whitechapel Art Gallery.

Tours run every day of the week. Please arrive at the meeting point at least 10 minutes prior to departure to ensure you don’t miss the start of your tour.

Q: When does the Jack the Ripper tour finish?

A: Each tour lasts approximately 1 hour 45 minutes, so you can expect to finish up at around 7:15 pm for the afternoon tour or 9:15 pm for the evening tour. The tour finishes by Spitalfields Market, and the infamous Ten Bells pub – perfect for a post-tour debrief.

Q: Will the tour still run in bad weather?

A: Our Jack the Ripper tour runs every day regardless of the weather, so please dress accordingly in comfortable walking shoes. On occasion, it has been known to rain here in London, so remember to bring waterproofs and warmer clothes for those colder evenings.

If you prefer not to participate in the tour during inclement weather, please email ahead or text us on 07803 067544, and we will happily move your tickets over to another day, subject to availability.

Q: What should we do if we are running late to the Jack the Ripper tour?

A: If you can, please give us a call on 07803 067544.

Should you arrive at the meeting point and the tour guide isn’t there, please make your way to the first stop of the tour on Gunthorpe Street. The tour will stop here for approximately 10-15 minutes before moving on.

If you are expecting to arrive later than this, simply email us, and we can reschedule for another day.

All tickets are valid for up to six months from the date of booking.

Q: What area does the Jack the Ripper tour cover?

A: Our tour guides will lead you around the heart of the East End, visiting the murder sites of the Ripper victims as well as other key locations from Victorian London. There will be plenty of stops along the way as we discuss the case, the crime scenes, the suspects, victims and more - but be prepared to cover some ground, too.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at 07803 067544, email us at [email protected] or submit an enquiry form here .

"The best and most original Jack the Ripper tour in years"

-  The cloak and dagger club 2011

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 7 Days a Week

AT 5:00PM & 7:30PM

Tour Duration

1 hr 45 mins

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Attractions

• Ripper Walk

About this Walk

This walk explores parts of London’s East End linked with Jack the Ripper in the 1880’s and takes you through some of the rich multi-cultural areas of Whitechapel and Spitalfields. Though few of the original locations associated with the murders still exist, the walk takes you to the sites where the crimes were supposedly committed. Allow 3 hours. This walk is best done during daylight hours as some of the areas are not particularly well lit or busy during evenings. If you want to also visit Spitalfields market, Sunday is probably the best day to do this walk. Written in 2004 and updated in 2014

General Route

Start at Liverpool Street station – Spitalfields market – Thrawl Street – Middlesex Street – Houndsditch – Aldgate High Street – Whitechapel High Street – Whitechapel Road – London Hospital – Old Montague Street – Brick Lane – Hanbury Street – Fournier Street – Ten Bells – end at Liverpool Street station

Some of the directions in this walk may be out of date as the area is constantly under re-development. So though you should be able to follow the general route given in the walk details, please take a detailed map with you as you may need to refer to it.

click to view map in full screen

Spitalfields Market

Fournier street and the great fire of london.

Ten Bells Pub

Buy this walk in a handy booklet

The walk starts and ends at Liverpool Street station. From Liverpool Street station, exit onto Bishopsgate. Turn left and then go right along Brushfield Street. You will see Spitalfields market, ahead of you (on the left).

Spitalfields market has existed since the 12th century and has always been a place for public gatherings. During the Ripper’s time, it provided employment for many local residents.

It is still a place for the public to gather and this “right” has been strongly defended in recent years from City developers.

These days, the market is a great place for eating and shopping.

Did You Know?

Around the time of the murders, the East End of London was a slum into which one million people were crowded, most in single rooms in decaying houses that had neither adequate water or sewage facilities.

More than half of all children died before the age of five and prostitution and alcoholism were rife.

walk through Spitalfields Market to Commercial Street and turn right, passing Fashion Street and Lolesworth Close on the left. (Many of the victims lived around this area, three in Lolesworth Close and two in Fashion Street.) Stop at the entrance to Thrawl Street (on the left).

Mary Jane Kelly

Near this area, 25 year old Mary Jane Kelly became the ripper’s fifth (and generally accepted final) victim. She was murdered on 9th November 1888, and was the only victim to be killed indoors. For this murder there was a reliable witness.

George Hutchinson had been approached only a few moments earlier by the victim, trying to borrow money. Hutchinson saw Kelly pick up a client and followed the couple back to Miller’s Court, where the body was later found. However a description circulated to all police produced no suspects.

Ironically, by the 1880’s London was considered to be the safest capital for life and property in the world. Statistics showed that crime in London was falling.

take the next turning right (Wentworth Street) and stop at the junction with Goulston Street.

Lost Evidence

In the doorway to these flats a fragment of a blood stained apron, matching that cut away from the fourth victim, Catherine Eddowes, was found. An anti-semetic message had been written on the back of it.

Rather than preserve this vital evidence, the police commissioner – despite pleadings from officers at the scene – removed the message, saying he was concerned it might inflame anti-jewish feelings.

No photograph or transcript was made of the message and hence there is much debate as to the actual text of it.

During the 1800’s two common types of criminals were mudlarks (who scavenged in the Thames mud) and lightermen (who stole silk and other valuable cargo from barges).

go left down Goulston Street and right down New Goulston Street, cross Middlesex Street (which was known as Petticoat Lane until 1830) and go up Gravel Lane almost directly opposite. Follow it as it turns into Stoney Lane and at the end of Stoney Lane turn left along Houndsditch.

Cross Houndsditch, walk down St James’ Passage into Mitre Square.

Catherine Eddowes

The fourth victim was found on the pavement just inside Mitre Square. Catherine Eddowes was the second of the ripper’s victims murdered on 30th September 1888. Her body was discovered at 1.45 am and she had been terribly mutilated.

She had been released from police custody only 45 minutes earlier.

There was no London wide police force until 1829 when the Metropolitan Police was established by Robert Peel.

Go through the square, then turn left into Mitre Street and walk along it to the end, turning left along Aldgate High Street. Walk along Aldgate High Street, passing St. Botolph’s Church on the left. Continue to the Hoop and Grapes pub, just before the junction with Mansell Street.

Hoop and Grapes – London’s oldest pub in the City

The Hoop and Grapes was one of the few buildings to have survived the Great Fire of London in 1666. The fire stopped just short of the building, which was actually a private house at the time.

The pub is now the only surviving 17th century timber framed building in the City of London. The front of the pub is original – notice how its front door leans to the left.

Brick Lane acquired its name from a brickworks which was nearby in the sixteenth century.

It is renowned throughout London as the place to go for excellent Indian food.

continue along Aldgate High Street, which becomes Whitechapel High Street. Go along Whitechapel High Street and stop at the corner of Fieldgate Street.

The Whitechapel Bell Foundry Company

The company moved here in 1570 but was established in 1420. (The current buildings date from 1738). The foundry closed in 2017 after nearly 450 years of bell making.

Some of the most famous bells in the world were cast here, such as the original Liberty bell in America (1752) and the Great Bell of Westminster (1858) that gives Big Ben its distinctive sound.

In addition to being famous for Jack the Ripper and the Kray Twins, the East End of London is associated with many modern icons including Alfred Hitchcock, David Bowie and Dudley Moore, being their birthplace or where they grew up.

continue along Whitechapel Road until you reach London Hospital, opposite Whitechapel tube station.

The Royal London Hospital

The Royal London Hospital has been on this site since 1757.

Dr Barnardo trained here in 1866 and John Merrick (the Elephant Man) was treated and died here. He was discovered living at 259 Whitechapel Road, directly opposite.

By 1861, there were 80 hospitals in London but there was still little provision for the poor apart from workhouses, until a public hospital system was established in 1867. The first hospital opened under this system was only for paupers suffering from smallpox or scarlet fever.

walk along Whitechapel Road until you are directly in front of the main entrance to the hospital. Cross Whitechapel Road and turn left. Turn right on Vallance Road.

Mary Ann Nichols

The body of the first victim, Mary Ann Nichols, was discovered at 3 am on 30 August 1888 in a gateway a short distance down nearby Durward Street. The body was likely to have been there only 15 minutes or so, its throat had been cut twice and its abdomen had also been slashed.

Due to a mistake in Sir Frederick Treves’ book, The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences (1923), Merrick is sometimes known as John Merrick.

continue along Vallance Street, then turn left along Buxton Street. When you reach the junction with Brick Lane, turn left and then right at Hanbury Street.

Annie Chapman

The body of the second victim, Annie Chapman, was found in a small yard at the back of 29 Hanbury Street (now part of Truman’s Brewery) at approximately 6 am on Saturday 8th September 1888.

It is possible that the murderer could have been seen talking to the victim half an hour earlier. Witnesses reported seeing a man of about 40 years of age, dark, shabby and wearing a deerstalker.

19th century London was a city of small workshops. In 1851, 86 % of industrial employers in London had less than 10 workers and only 17 employed more than 250 people.

During this period, some of London’s major industries such as the shipbuilding industry declined, mainly due to technology and the extension of free trade.

Return to Brick Lane and turn right, then along Brick Lane and turn right again down Fournier Street.

Fournier Street is probably one of the best preserved eighteenth century streets in London. The houses here were built in 1725 : note the fire protection badges (for example, at number 37).

After the Great Fire of London in 1666, insurance companies started providing fire insurance and to manage their exposure, they also established their own fire fighting services. Policy holders put a badge on the front of their house to indicate to fire fighting teams which houses were under their protection.

Go to the end of Fournier Street and turn right, stopping in front of the Ten Bells pub.

The Ten Bells Pub

Established in 1753, the Ten Bells pub was frequently visited by many of the ripper victims as it was near to where they lived. Mary Jane Kelly, the ripper’s final victim, drank here on the night of her death.

The pub’s exterior was re-built in the late 1990’s, though up until 2002 the interior was still very much as it was during the days of the murders.

On the wall of the pub there used to be a wooden board listing the Ripper’s victims. However, you couldn’t read the text on it because it had been turned face to the wall and screwed down in that position.

Apparently, that was done as a result of complaints to the owner by various Women’s groups who objected on the grounds of it being demeaning to women.

In the 1800’s, most Londoners lived in terrace houses.

you have now completed this walk. Continue ahead along Brushfield Street and turn left along Bishopsgate, back to Liverpool Street station

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Jack the Ripper Free Tour: Unearth the Haunting Secrets of Whitechapel

Overview of the tour in London

Our adventure commences at the Tower Hill sundial. Feel the weight of history as you stand in the shadows of the ancient fortress, where whispers of Jack the Ripper's chilling reign still echo. Immerse yourself in the atmosphere that plagued Whitechapel during those fateful nights. Enter Mitre Square, a place forever etched in the annals of true crime. Here, the Ripper's gruesome handiwork sent shockwaves through society, leaving investigators baffled. Stand in the very spot where the Ripper claimed one of his unfortunate victims. Unravel the enigmatic puzzle left behind by the Ripper himself as we explore Goulston Street. Immerse yourself in the vibrant chaos of Spitalfields Market. Here, amidst the colorful stalls and hushed whispers, you'll uncover the secrets hidden in plain sight. Feel the palpable sense of fear that gripped the community as the Ripper struck fear into their hearts. Finally, our journey concludes at the infamous Ten Bells Pub. Step into the same pub where the Ripper's victims may have sought refuge, their spirits forever trapped within its timeworn walls. Raise a glass, while contemplating the secrets that this haunted haven guards.

This activity includes:

• Spitalfields Market
• Mitre Square Garden
• The Ten Bells
• Saint Botolph Without Aldgate

Meeting point

Tower Hill, London EC3N 2LY, UK

Your guide will be carrying a purple flag, emblazoned with 'Free Walking Tour London' and will be by the Sundial at Tower Hill Station.

Things to note

Please note that this is a walking tour, so we recommend you wear comfortable shoes.

Free Cancellation

You are free to cancel a booking anytime. We kindly remind you to cancel bookings you cannot arrive for. Being reported as absent decreases your customer level points and the benefits you can enjoy.

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The Ultimate Self-Guided Jack the Ripper Walking Tour with Map

London is one of the most popular tourist destinations, and with good reason. You can find everything from world-class museums, to royal palaces, to iconic landmarks like Big Ben and Tower Bridge . However, there’s a lot more to London than these sites that you might see on postcards. It also has a dark side. One of the darkest pieces of its history lies in the East End. The Whitechapel area of London became the site of a brutal series of murders during 1888. This was the home of Jack the Ripper . Although the culprit was never caught and his identity is still mostly unknown, he’s become one of history’s most infamous serial killers.

This Jack the Ripper Walking Tour takes you through some of the most notorious places involved in the crimes. You’ll hear stories of Jack the Ripper’s victims and learn about this terrifying time in London’s history. In addition to the bloody sights and grisly details, these murders are also significant for being one of the earliest tabloid true crime sensations. One hundred and thirty-three years later, Jack the Ripper still manages to fascinate people everywhere with his gruesome, unsolved murders.

About This Walking Tour

In just under two hours, you can retrace the steps of Jack the Ripper in 1888. Although I would carve out about three hours so you can take your time. This way you can even stop into some spots along the way. The Ripper is still alive in our memories as if he still lurks behind every corner. As you walk, listen for footsteps behind you on these dark streets and be sure to have your wits about you. Jack’s ghosts are known to prowl the street of Whitechapel even to this day. All you need is this map and your curiosity as you embark on this eerie adventure.

Be warned! This tour goes into lots of detail about Whitechapel’s poverty, Victorian life in 1888, and the gruesome murders. It might be a little much for some youngsters so use your judgement. We don’t share any pictures in this post from the crimes scenes but we also don’t judge what you choose to google. The tour starts at the entrance to Gunthorpe Street on Whitechapel Road . If you’d prefer to just skip to only certain parts of the tour you can easily use the table of contents to find what you’re looking for.

Self Guided vs Guided Tour

Jack the Ripper Walking Tours in London, are a profession . Many of the best guides are more like actors and historians than just plain chatty guides. This part of London is overrun with tour guides taking Jack the Ripper groups along the streets. They can get swamped, and the cheaper tours are often so large that it’s sometimes hard to hear the guide talk. Taking a self-guided tour means you can go at your own pace. You can stop or detour where you want or just follow the steps as I’ve laid them out here. I’ve done my best to really make this tour as in-depth and historically accurate as possible. The stories we tell making the tale come live in front of you and take you back to 1888.

• If you see a tour group overtaking a particular spot, just wait for them to move along
• Once the larger groups move along you’ll suddenly have the entire area just to yourself!
• If you want a more haunting atmosphere for your tour, come late at night, long after the group tours have concluded. You’ll find the East End almost as dark and eerie as it was back in 1888
• All of the stops on the tour are located on public property but if you do choose to take the tour at night, keep your voices down as we do pass by several residential areas
• Alternatively, if you have kids who are interested in learning about Jack the Ripper but up for the late night tour, you can easily do this tour during the day
• Remember, this part of town isn’t a museum. The East End is a working neighbourhood filled with locals, so be sure to not stop in the middle of the sidewalk. This is very irritating to the residents who are just trying to make their way around

Following Jack the Ripper’s Footsteps

This tour is designed to walk the steps of Jack the Ripper and his victims in chronological order . Because of this, we might backtrack here and there. But we will always walk along a different stretch of road to fully explore the area around Whitechapel and Spitalfields . Walking in chronological order makes the story unfold in front of you in an even more exciting fashion. Reading all the evidence and stories about Jack the Ripper as it happened in 1888 really brings the story to life.

London in 1888

Sadly, much of the Victorian City of London was destroyed during the bombing in World War II. Few buildings remain in Whitechapel, which are reminiscent of life here in 1888. But there are still some hidden gems that cast a little glimpse into the past. Various streets or structure that gives us an idea of what the neighbourhood looked like during the reign of terror of Jack the Ripper.

Whitechapel  was a small borough of London bordered by the ancient City of London to the west, Spitalfields to the north and St George-in-the-east. The name ‘Whitechapel’ comes from the old St. Mary Matfelon church, which was established here in 1338. The church has been a simple white painted, which was the largest structure in the East End at the time. Being such a landmark, it became a nickname for the district. In 1888, Whitechapel was London’s worst slum. It had the highest death rates, the most severe overcrowding, and the most dangerous place in London.

The Whitechapel Slum

The Whitechapel neighbourhood was developed adjacent to the city’s noxious industries. Shipyards, breweries, tanneries and slaughterhouses were the foul-smelling industries. The City of London designated the East End for these businesses as the prevailing winds in London travelled from west to east. This way, most of the odours would not flow into the upper-class areas of the city. But it meant that Whitechapel was where the worst pollution and smells would coagulate. It was a less than desirable area where the most impoverished people lived. The low-paid employment in the docks and those foul-smelling industries made worse piecework and casual labour, resulting in the area becoming somewhat of a slum.

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Immigrant Population

Rent was extremely cheap and in addition to the local unfortunates, Whitechapel drew in a large immigrant population. In the 1880’s Whitechapel was home to thousands of eastern-European Jewish and Polish refugees. The English residents were less than welcoming to these refugees. There was rampant anti-Semitism in the streets of Whitechapel. English residents feared they were taking away “English” jobs and the reason for their sordid plot in life. This melting pot of hate, poverty and filth all contributed to the boiling point which was about to explode when Jack the Ripper came to town.

Life in the East End

Some streets in Whitechapel were so dangerous they were dubbed “the blackest of the black streets.” Police only patroled in groups of four to protect themselves from the gangs that roamed the shadowy alleys. There was no sanitation in Whitechapel. There was no plumbing inside the apartments, where sometimes as many as nine people shared one bedroom. You would just throw your sewage and rubbish out into the streets. The smell walking down the lanes would have been almost unbearable.

Unlike some images, we might have in our mind of London in 1888, the streets were not all light by the gaslight. Instead, Whitechapels alleys were some of the darkest places in the entire city. Whitechapel Road was well lit but as soon as you headed off on the side streets, you were met with utter darkness. In this complete obscurity, prostitution could easily take place. Out of sight of the police. But it was also in this complete darkness where murderers could quickly and easily kill their prey and then slip away into the night.

Whitechapel Today

Today, the area of Whitechapel is filled with Bangladesh and Asian immigrants who moved here in the 1960s to set up textile shops and incredible restaurants! If you’re coming here to do a Jack the Ripper walking tour, please make sure you dine in one of these top-notch restaurants. Instead of just tromping through the area and not giving back to the community be sure to stop in and get a spot of dinner or a snack at one of these many amazing restaurants.

Starting Point: Gunthorpe Street

We start our tour at the intersection of Gunthorpe Street and Whitechapel Road . A small archway leads you from Whitechapel Road into the narrow alley which is Gunthorpe Street . Gunthorpe Street is located away from the car horns of busy Whitechapel Road. This quiet alley feels like a glimmer of London from 1888. The cobblestones and brick buildings are reminiscent of a bygone era.

It was here where you’d find some of Whitechapel’s most raucous lodging houses , stables and narrow garden courts. The area already had a mean reputation and has been described as a “ notorious Rendez-vous of thieves .” Violent assaults were commonplace around here, but surprisingly murder was less common. And when someone was murdered it was commonly a part of a robbery. Murder for murder’s sake was almost unheard of. And the violent mutilation that Jack the Ripper inflicted on his victims was unlike anything even the most hardened district had ever seen.

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George Yard Lodging House

In 1888, Gunthrope Street was named George Yard . It was along this street where you would have found the George Yard Lodging House . Lodging Houses were how some of the poorest inhabitants of London slept at night. Few people had a fixed address in Whitechapel. They wore everything they owed as they walked the streets. A bed for the night had to be earned, and if you couldn’t pay, you were thrown out on the street. The lodging houses were also called “doss houses” or “fourpenny hotels” as the cost of a night’s stay was 4-pence.

In the front window of the lodging house, a number was posted, this referred to the number of free beds available. Often you’d find 20 people sleeping in one crowded room. They slept atop horsehair mattresses. These were usually filled with lice, scabies and even feces. The bed linens were only changed once a week (hence all the bugs). By law, the windows had to be opened and aired out at 10 am the following day since the smells from the residents were so potent they often were overwhelming.

The Murder of Martha Tabram

It was here on Gunthrope Street (then George Yard) that the mutilated body of 39-year old Martha Tabram  was found. Although Martha wasn’t considered a “canonical victim” of Jack the Ripper at the time, many detectives since are more persuaded of Jack’s involvement in the murder. 

Tabram was discovered on the first-floor landing of George Yard Buildings at 4:50 am on August 7th, 1888. No one knows when she was killed as her body was only discovered when the lamps were lit in this darkened lane. Although some Lodging Houses did have lamps above their entrances, the gaslamps were usually put out around 11 pm to save money. 

The attack on Martha was extremely violent. She suffered from 39 frenzied stab wounds to her throat, chest and abdomen. One of the reasons the police didn’t connect her to the future Jack the Ripper murders was that she was not disembowelled. Nor had her throat been cut (although it had been slashed.) But many suggest that perhaps Jack was only starting his horrific crusade. The variations in her murder scene were simply because he had yet to settle into a routine. Either way, her murder horrified the residents of Whitechapel, who clung to any piece of information they could glean from the newspapers. 

The Unfortunates of the East End

Martha Tabram was often referred to in the papers and in the history books as a common prostitute. But like with almost all of Jack the Ripper’s victims, this is only a part of these women’s stories. We spend a lot of time talking about the identity of Jack the Ripper. But to give his victims their due, I also focus on stories of the victims who too often get forgotten in my tour. Most, if not all of the victims of Jack the Ripper, didn’t choose prostitution. They were forced into it by a system that left them with no other opportunities to make enough money to live.

Martha was married in 1869, but the two divorced in 1875 due to Martha’s apparent “heavy drinking.” The excuse of alcoholism was another common thread that many of these women share. Drinking to forget the horrible place in which they lived. Martha was given twelve shillings per week allowance by her ex-husband, but this was reduced to 2 shillings and 6 pence after she kept harassing him in public for more money. When he learned she had been living with another man, her allowance was cut off.

The new man in her life was carpenter, Henry Turner. The two made a decent living selling trinkets they made on the street, but they separated in the cursed year of 1888, once more due to Martha’s drinking. With no means of making money, Martha turned to selling her body on the streets. Although the word “prostitute” is used to describe their occupation, I prefer the Victorian term “an unfortunate” as this is genuinely the best definition of these women’s situation.

Flower and Dean Walk

Continue along Gunthorpe Street , veering left at Wentworth Street stopping at the arched entrance to Flower and Dean Walk . The beautiful red brick townhomes along Flower and Dean Walk are very reminiscent of this area in 1888. After the construction of the business-laden Commercial Street to the east, this narrow road became even more cramped and overcrowded. The original townhomes located here were so run down they were demolished in 1970. But in 1888, this part of town was where you would have found various famous lodging houses favoured by the city’s prostitutes. Two victims of the attacks in 1888 lived here at Satchell’s Lodging House and Cooley’s Lodging House .

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Emma Smith , Martha Tabram and Mary Ann Nichols stayed here off and on in 1888. But almost all of Jack’s victims stayed on this street at one time or another. Although this might seems like a huge clue tieing all the victims together, Flower and Deak Walk was simply a popular spot for the prostitutes of Whitechapel. One of the reasons it was such a hot spot was that Flower and Dean Street was made of a mixture of courts, alleys and interconnecting lanes. The perfect area for the women of the night to conduct their business out of the prying eyes public and the police. At #55 was Cooney’s Lodging House. This lodging house allowed “married” couples to bed together. But they didn’t ask for proof and this allowed prostitutes to bring home clients under the guise of calling them their “husbands”.

Osborn Street

Turn back east along Wentworth Street and stop at the crossing of Osborn Street and Old Montague Street . The old Buxton Hotel and Pub makes a great backdrop for this next story. When Martha Tabram was murdered, a huge veil of fear descended on the neighbourhood. This was because she had not been the first violent death of a prostitute that year. Earlier in April, 45-year old Emma Smith had died of her violent injuries just a few steps away in Royal London Hospital.

O n April 3rd, 1888 at four in the morning, Emma Smith returned to her Lodging House at 18 George Street. George Street is now gone but would have been located where we find Flower and Dean Walk today. She was covered in blood having been viciously attacked by a group of men. But Smith was a tough ol’ broad. The deputy keeper of the lodging house, Mary Russell , recounted how Smith had previously been punched in the face and thrown out a window and yet survived. She frequently returned home with black eyes and sadly was used to this type of violence.

Emma claimed that she had been walking along where we stand on Osborn Street . Then suddenly, a gang sprung at her from the darkness. They robbed her of all the money she had earned that night. But not before one of the men slashed at her with a long knife or perhaps a solider’s bayonet.

But the time she returned home the extent of her wounds would prove fatal. Her face was slashed, her ear badly cut, and her lower abdomen was also bleeding profusely. Her bedmates pleaded with her to get to the hospital. She agreed and made her way to the hospital. But at 9 am the following day, she died of her injuries. But not before giving the police as much information as she could on the attackers.

The First Ripper Victim?

Emma Smith clearly wasn’t a victim of Jack the Ripper; they proved that she had been attacked by a group of men. Nevertheless, this violent attack on a prostitute had raised the hairs of both the police and the public. It drew attention to the violence that these unfortunate women suffered. And unlike years prior, the violence seemed to be escalating, now with the death of Martha Tabram . Despite no connection to the Ripper, her murder was the first that opened the case files entitled “ The Whitechapel Murder .” This was the famous case file that contained all of the following “canonical five” Jack the Ripper victims.

Turning northwards, Osborn Street turns into Brick Lane . Brick Lane was named in 1550 when two tile factories were located here. Clay could be dug right out of the wet ground used to produce bricks and tiles for the factories. These were the literal building blocks of Whitechapel’s architecture. But during the 1880s, Brick Lane was home to a variety of shops, pubs, lodging houses, and timberyards.

Today, the area is known as ‘ Banglatown ‘ due to the high number of Bangledesh restaurants. Bangladeshi immigrants came to this part of town to work in the clothing shops and factories. These sprung up in the 1970s and have flourished ever since. Many of the old breweries were shut down, and their large factories transformed into art and entertainment venues. Brick Lane has become a popular hipster hangout in recent years with chic vintage shops popping up further north along Brick Lane.

Most of the original pubs in the area have all but disappeared. This is partly due to the large Muslim population in the area who do not drink. But at #13 Brick Lane, you can still find the building which housed the Frying Pan pub in 1888. It was here that Mary Ann Nichols , Jack’s first canonical victim, was allegedly drinking on the night of her murder. She is seen leaving the Frying Pan pub at 12:30 pm on 31st August 1888. The Frying Pan Pub was known for its clientele of prostitutes during the 19th century. It was a hot spot where unfortunates would lose their daily “doss” (lodging) money in favour of a pint of gin.

The Gin Craze

Unlike many pictures we might have in our mind of a pub in Victorian London, people weren’t typically sipping on pints of beer. Instead, they preferred large glasses of homegrown gin. “ The Distillers have found out a way to hit the palate of the Poor, by their new fashion’d compound Waters called Geneva (Gin), so that the common people seem not to value the French-brandy as usual, and even not to desire it, ” claimed English journalist Daniel Defoe. Gin was extremely cheap to make and much faster to get drunk off of than beer. And it got you very, very drunk.

Alcoholism in 1888

Gin was made inside large iron bathtubs in Whitechapel. It was so strong that it was known to eat through paint and iron of the tub it was made in. One can only imagine how awful it would have been to imbibe. Many unfortunate women would come to these “gin palaces” nightly for pint after pint of the stuff. Most of the women killed by Jack the Ripper were said to look much older than their actual age upon their autopsies. No doubt, early ageing was brought on by the potency of the alcohol.

The women who worked the streets of Whitechapel longed to forget their plight. Alcoholism was rampant among the poorest of Whitechapel’s residents. Although the Gin Craze was more prominent in the 18th century, it saw a resurgence in the 19th century, especially among Whitechapels prostitutes. An entire bottle of gin could be purchased for a few pence, and sadly many of these victims chose the bottle over their lodging. A choice which no doubt led to their deaths.

Old Montague Street Mortuary

Turn right down Chicksand Street toward Greatorex Street . Walking south along Greatorex Street turn left along Old Montague Street . Walking along Old Montague Street at the corner of Davenant street , you’ll find the spot wherein 1888 stood the Old Montague Street Mortuary . It was here that the bodies of the Whitechapel Murder victims Mary Ann Nichols and Annie Chapman were taken for their autopsies. But conditions inside this run-down mortuary weren’t sufficient for the high-level investigations taking place here in 1888. Dr. George Bagster Phillips was quoted as saying;

“ It was under great difficulty he could make his examination, and, as on many occasions he had met with similar difficulties, he now raised his protest, as he had previously done, that members in his profession should be called upon to perform their duties in these inadequate circumstances. There were no adequate conveniences for a post-mortem examination. At particular seasons of the year, it was dangerous to the operator. “

Buck’s Row

Continue along Old Montague Street towards Whitechapel Station on Durward Street . In 1888, Durward Street was called Buck’s Row . During the 19th century, this narrow thoroughfare was lined with large warehouses and stables on the north side. On the south side, you’d find a cramped row of terraced cottages. These small cottages were considered some of the most “luxurious” accommodations in Whitechapel. It was here in Buck’s Row, outside the gateway of Brown’s Stable Yard , where Mary Ann Nichols ‘ body was found. Because of the notoriety brought upon the street by the murder, Buck’s Row was renamed and renumbered Durward Street in 1892.

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Mary Ann Nichols

Mary Ann Nichols , who went by the nickname Polly, was 43-years old when she met her dark fate. She married William Nichols in 1864, and the two had five children. The two separated in 1881 after Nichols claimed that Polly had been living as a prostitute. In 1881 if a man claimed his wife was a prostitute, he would not have to pay the woman any support money. Polly’s father contested that Nichols was the one having an affair. Supposedly he was sleeping with a nurse who actually cared for Mary Ann Nichols during a difficult-bought of illness. Either way, William Nichols won the case against Mary. Leaving her with no support payments, and no choice but to go to the workhouses.

Workhouses in London

Workhouses in London were where the orphaned, elderly, sick, disabled or those simply unable to find work came to live. The workhouses were bleak places. You had to work 16 hours a day for the chance at food and a bed for the night. The food was barely edible, with bread so hard it had to be soaked in hot water to become soft enough to eat. Even the beds were smaller than the ones you’d find in prisons. The workhouses were about the worst place you could end up. Many women chose casual prostitution as an alternative. By turning to sex work women would be able to make enough money to pay their way into the more “upscale” lodging houses.

The Night of the Murder

But on the night of her murder, Wilmott’s Lodging House , on Thrawl street, had thrown Mary out. She owed the landlord too much money and couldn’t pay the fourpence for her bed that evening. Mary was seen leaving Wilmott’s Lodging House around 1 am bragging about a new bonnet she had just purchased. “ I’ll soon get my doss money. See what a jolly bonnet I’ve got now. ”

Mary was seen again at 2:30 am, extraordinarily drunk and staggering around Osborn Street. Her friend Emily Holland passed her on the street. Emily was already fearful for Mary after the previous two murders and tried to pay for Mary’s lodging. It was a cold and rainy evening and Emily hoped her offer would get Mary off the dark streets. But Mary wouldn’t go. She claimed that “she had had her doss money three times that day and had drunk it away, and it won’t be long before I’m back. ” But that was the last time Mary Ann Nichols that would be seen alive. Somewhere between Osborn Street and this spot on Buck’s Row, Mary met with the Jack the Ripper. Perhaps along the route we just walked ourselves.

Body Discovered

One of the most interesting things about this case is how well documented the times are throughout the investigations. And these timelines help us understand how quickly Jack the Ripper worked in the utter darkness of Whitechapel. At 3:15 am  PC John Thain  passed down his beat along Buck’s Row and noticed nothing out of the ordinary. But by 3:40 am,  Charles Cross  discovered Mary Ann Nichols’s body on his way to work. He found her lying at the gateway entrance to Brown’s stableyard. When Cross and his coworker came across the body, they overlooked the extent of her injuries. They even thought they heard a heartbeat. Seeing as they didn’t want to be late for work, they arranged Nichols’ skirts to give her some decency and made plans to alert the first policemen they saw. 

But  PC John Neil  arrived before Cross could alert anyone. He took a better look and found her dead, her throat vigorously slashed, and her new bonnet, stained with blood, laying on the ground. Neil went to get back up and called for  Dr. Llewellyn . At this time, only a doctor could pronounce someone dead, and they were, therefore, the first to the scene, even before the inspectors.  Dr. Llewellyn  pronounced Mary Ann Nichols dead, having passed away around 3:50 am. Meaning Charles Cross did indeed come across Mary’s body while she was still alive. Perhaps even while Jack the Ripper lurked in the darkness. 

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Autopsy of Mary Ann Nichols

Mary’s body was brought to the Old Montague Street Mortuary. It was there that they discovered her abdomen had been slashed open, exposing all her organs. The policemen on the scene didn’t see this right away because of the layers upon layers of clothing she was wearing. Remember, since she had no fixed address, Mary would have been wearing all the clothing she owned. These layers of clothing had absorbed the blood flowing from the deep gash in her stomach. 

There was no blood spray on the scene despite the deep gash to her throat and to her stomach. Early speculation was that the murder, therefore, could not have been committed on this spot in Buck’s Row. But with further analysis, they discovered that it appeared Jack would strangle the victims before mutilating them. This meant that there would be no large spray of blood when he cut their throat as the victim would have already been deceased.

The Board School

Standing right above the crime scene is the towering Old Board School building. Most of this area has been modernized, and little of Victorian London remains. But this building still stands just as it was in 1888. It was restored and its interiors are currently used as swanky apartments. But these windows are the same ones that would have looked down over the death of Mary Ann Nichols as it happened in 1888.

Whitechapel Road

Continue east along Durward street turning south along Brady Street towards Whitechapel Road . Walk east along Whitechapel Road, taking in the charming series of brick buildings along the northern side of the road. While their shop fronts are all modern conveniences, the buildings themselves stand as historical landmarks from Victorian England.

Working Lads Institute

At #279 Whitechapel Road , high up along the roof, you can make out the name of the building, “ Working Lads Institute .” Above the arched entrances on either side of the building, you’ll find the words “Gymnasium And Swimming Bath” and “Lecture Hall” carved into the stone. The Working Lads Institute was created to keep local boys out of trouble. Instead of heading to the pub, these buildings provide educational classes, gymnasiums, libraries and swimming pools. Inside, these lads could find enjoyment other than the one they found inside a bottle. It’s no surprise the victims of Jack the Ripper were all women. Women had no “Working Gals Institute” to keep them from the bars at night. This is another example of how the system failed these poor women. And even contributed to their deaths.

Early Jack the Ripper Offices

The Working Lads Institute is one of the few remaining pieces of Victorian London connected to Jack the Ripper. It was here, on the second floor, where the inquests into Jack the Ripper’s victims took place. There was no official office at the time large enough for the police, coroners, doctors, and witnesses to meet and discuss the case. So when the case began to take off as a large-scale endeavour, they selected this public space as their first board room. Eventually, they required a more private and secure spot, and the investigation was moved out of the institute. But it was here that it all began!

Wood’s Buildings

A few steps down from the Working Lads Institute, you’ll find the sign for the old Wood’s Building alleyway . The Wood’s Building entrance is now closed to the public by a series of metal gates on either side. The alley was previously used for nefarious purposes with people inside selling drugs or just as a makeshift restroom off the busy Whitechapel road. But the nefarious atmosphere of Wood’s Buildings alleyway wasn’t anything new. In fact, if you could walk through here, you’d end up right at the spot where Mary Ann Nichols was murdered. It is highly suspected that Jack the Ripper used passages like this to melt away into the night without ever having been seen. Walking from the quiet, dark corners of the inner streets out into the morning market traffic of Whitechapel Road, where he would have been immediately lost amongst the crowds.

Prostitution in 1880s London

Walk west along Whitechapel Road, turning right up Vallance Road. A block north on Vallance Road, you’ll turn left onto Hanbury Street towards our next destination. The walk is about 15-minutes long. As we walk you can read more about what was going on for unfortunate women in London in 1888. The murder of  Mary Ann Nichols  was now the third prostitute killed in Whitechapel in 1888. Police were beginning to see a pattern and started to interview prostitutes all over the Whitechapel district. 

The Criminal Law Amendment Act

In 1885 the City of London had passed the Criminal Law Amendment Act . The act would “ make further provision for the Protection of Women and Girls, the suppression of brothels, and other purposes. ” One of the actions was to change the legal working age of prostitutes from thirteen to sixteen. Still shockingly young! Becoming a prostitute at such a young age would have made it almost impossible to escape that way of life. There was no assistance or education provided for these women and girls. No means by which they could climb out of a life of poverty and prostitution by means of skilled employment.

Although the city thought they were doing something to protect women by closing the brothels, they actually put them at more risk. Inside the brothels, they had the protection of four walls and sometimes armed security. But once the brothels were closed, they were forced to work on the streets. In essence, casting them out into the arms of Jack the Ripper. At the time, the police estimate that an average of 1,200 prostitutes operated in the areas around Whitechapel alone. So Jack had plenty of women to choose from.

Their Dark Fate

Prostitution in itself was not an offence, but solicitation was. Women were not allowed to approach men, but men could approach women. This also was an issue as it meant the women couldn’t pursue men they thought might be more approachable. Instead, they were forced to take whatever came their way. Prostitutes were also not allowed to loiter, so they would have to constantly keep moving. These women would have known the city like the back of their hand, even in complete darkness. And in a sick twist of fate, the women themselves would have chosen where they died. Jack would have required a quiet, hidden corner of the city to murder these women. And the prostitutes would know the best place to go, as they needed such a spot to carry out their daily sexual deeds.

29 Hanbury Street

The quiet backstreets of Hanbury street begin to squeeze together as we get closer to our next destination. It’s here, along the busy restaurant-laden alley where you’ll find a brick parking lot with the number “29” painted outside. It was here that the second canonical victim, Annie Chapman , was discovered.

Annie Chapman

Annie Chapman , aka “ Dark Annie ,” was the oldest Ripper victim at 47-years old. Her nickname comes from the dark brown colour of her wavy hair. Annie was married at 28 (very late for women in Victorian England) to John Chapman. Sadly, the two divorced after having three children together, possibly due to John’s chronic alcoholism. Although Annie had been arrest multiple times for public drunkenness, she wasn’t known as a chronic alcoholic. Unlike other husbands of the time, John agreed to pay a weekly sum of 10 shillings to Annie. This kept her comfortable enough to stay off the streets for a time.

John died in 1886, and this left Annie without those 10 shillings she needed for lodging. She did her best to get some work crocheting and sewing for more affluent families. She also tried selling artificial flowers. Sadly it wasn’t enough to make ends meets. So she turned to what many women did without any other options; prostitution. In this line of work, she caught the deadly disease of syphilis, common in sex workers at the time. Ironically, if Jack didn’t end her life, she undoubtedly had little time left. Her illness was very advanced and her brain tissue had already started to degenerate due to syphilis.

The Night of Annie’s Murder

On the evening of September 8th, Annie was seen walking along Dorset Street . She ran into her friend Amelia Palmer who asked if Annie was heading out to work the street. Amelia knew Annie didn’t have the money she needed for the doss house that night. But Annie responded that she was too ill to work. She hoped that the lodging-house would take pity on her. But the night watchman who came to collect her bed rent cast her outside. Telling her to come back when she had the money to pay for her bed.

So despite being so ill and the rain beating down, Annie heads back out to find a client. She was seen by fellow sex worker Elizabeth Long at 5:30 am talking to a man outside 29 Hanbury Street. Elizabeth knew it was precisely 5:30 as she heard the clock on the Black Eagle Brewery (which still exists) strike the five and a half-hour. Famously she overheard him saying to her, “ Will you? ” to which Annie replies, “ I will. “

Annie’s Body is Discovered

The direness of Whitechapel was such that next-door neighbour Albert Cadosch heard Annie crying “ no! ” But cries like this were commonly placed in Whitechapel. Cadosch went about using the outhouse and returned inside without alerting anyone to the noise. Annie’s body was discovered a little before 6:00 am by John Davis , who lived on the third floor of #29 Hanbury. He came into the garden to use the outhouse himself and found her lying dead beside the fence.

Her throat had been cut so several of the men who found her thought it was barely hanging on. The body was terribly mutilated. Unlike Mary Ann Nichols, she had been dead for a time, as her limbs had already begun to stiffen. Even most disturbing was the body had been disembowelled and the killer had deftly cut out Annie Chapman’s womb. And taken it with him.

This time, the police got a little more information about the killing. The blade used would have been longer than a common pocket or kitchen knife. They also found that the removal of her anatomy would have required some professional or anatomical knowledge.

Leather Apron

Found near the scene of the crime was a man’s leather apron. It was discovered in the corner of the garden. Women in and around Hanbury street jumped to accuse a man they called “ Leather Apron ” of the crimes. His name was brought up repeatedly even though there was little to tie the apron found to the crime. It could have easily been there long before the murder took place. Nevertheless, this nickname would go on to be one of the most famous nicknames for the Ripper. 

Many of Whitechapels prostitutes were being extorted by the man they called “Leather Apron.” He would approach the prostitutes with a knife and threaten to “ rip them apart ” if they didn’t hand over their cash. He was called “Leather Apron” as he was frequently seen wearing a butcher’s uniform consisting of a large leather apron.

The Newspaper Tabloids

By this time, the newspapers had begun the report on the murders. And they saw an immediate uptick in their sales. This was the first tabloid sensation, and the newspaper wanted to capitalize on this craze. Their reporters hit the streets almost as aggressively as the police. Some reporters even dressing up as prostitutes in the hopes of catching the Ripper themselves.

The leading newspaper which was reporting on the murders was ‘ The Star .’ Despite the police’s best efforts, their witnesses told the press about Leather Apron. And the press ran with the headline: “ LEATHER APRON THE ONLY NAME LINKED WITH THE WHITECHAPEL MURDERS. THE STRANGE CHARACTER WHO PROWLS ABOUT AFTER MIDNIGHT. UNIVERSAL FEAR AMONG WOMEN – SLIPPERED FEET AND A SHARP LEATHER-KNIFE. ” In the article, they gave the same description as the women gave the police. But they also added a few embellishments that would mar the case forever.

Anit-Semitism in London

The Star claimed that “ all are united in the belief that he is a Jew or of Jewish parentage, his face being of a marked Hebrew type. ” None of this was confirmed by the police. In fact, all the women couldn’t describe his appearance as they said a deerstalker hat hid his face. During this time in London, antisemitism was rampant. Jewish people began migrating to London in the 18th century. By 1888, over 3,000 Jewish immigrants were living in Whitechapel. Much to the chagrin of the racist English population.

The locals believed an Englishman couldn’t possibly be responsible for these awful crimes. So they placed their blame directly on the Jewish community despite no clear evidence. The police were greatly concerned about this wave of antisemitism. They were attempting the quell this anger and fear before the pot boiled over into full-scale anti-Jewish rioting. The newspapers on the other hand were seemingly trying to turn up the heat…

Wilkes Street & Fournier Street

Walk to Wilkes Street where you can turn south towards Fournier Street . Wilkes Street and Fournier Street are two of the most incredible examples of what East London would have looked in 1888. These are my favourite architectural spots in the entirety of this tour. And the perfect place for a photo op. The buildings are incredible examples of Victorian architecture. And since none of the murders occurred here taking a cute selfie or picture of yourself down these alleys feels much more appropriate.

Frederick George Abberline

After the murder of Annie Chapman , inspector Frederick George Abberline of the Metropolitan Police joined in the team of detectives on the hunt for the killer. F rederick George Abberline has been working in the neighbourhood of Whitechapel for 14 years as a patrolling officer. He has been recently promoted and was selected as the primary officer on the case. This was in the hopes that his knowledge of the locals and the area would prove invaluable.

But even the most knowledgeable officer who lived in the area found the spiderweb-like network of alleys and underground tunnels impossible to patrol. Unlike straight and narrow streets in America, the twisting passageways which spread out across Whitechapel meant that an officer could lose sight of someone he was following in the blink of an eye. The police were at a huge disadvantage. The rate of expansion in the area did not correlate with the staffing in the police department. The population was rapidly growing, and the police force was constantly overworked and understaffed.

The Ten Bells Spitalfields

Walking west towards  Commercial Street  from Fournier Street, you’ll find the most famous of all the Jack the Ripper sights. This is the great Ten Bells Spitalfields Pub . This pub is so important to the history of Jack the Ripper as it’s one of the only places you can still visit and have a drink inside. Nearly all of the victims were known to frequent the Ten Bells Pub to indulge in a glass of gin to numb the pain of their existence. I suggest you do the same 😉

Stop inside to give your legs a little break and take in the atmosphere of this historical landmark. It was here that both Annie Chapman and Mary Jane Kelly had a drink just before they met their untimely end. Despite this connection, the pub has tried to shake off the association with the murders. Inside you’ll find no posters or memorabilia on the walls dedicated to Jack the Ripper.

Christ Church Spitalfields

Standing outside the Ten Bells pub, on the corner of Commercial Street and Fournier Street , two more buildings from 1888 remain. These buildings would have been ones the girls and Jack would have passed every day on their way to work. Or while stalking his victims. The first and most imposing is Christ Church Spitalfields . This church has been a beacon for the residents of Spitalfields since the 1700s. Its large clock face, atop the tower, is viewable above most buildings in Spitalfield. This was one of the only ways residents could tell the time back in 1888. The peaked tower also served as an easy-to-find meeting point for people all over the city.

Spitalfields Market

The other large Victorian building dominating Commercial Street is Spitalfields Market . The Spitalfields Market has existed here in some form or another since the 1600s. But the current building was constructed in 1887, just before the murder, and opened by Queen Victoria herself. The space inside Spitalfields Market is today a hip marketplace with vintage clothing sellers, bakers and artisans.

Queens Head Pub

Walking south along Commercial Street , at #74 , you’ll find the Queens Head Pub . It was inside this pub where Elizabeth Stride (Jack’s next victim) spent the last of her doss house money. The old signage outside on the facade corner has been restored by the architects who now own the building.

The Princess Alice Pub

A few ways down at #40 Commercial street was where you’d have found the Princess Alice Pub in 1888. This pub was another popular spot for the prostitutes in the East End. But it was here that the popular suspect ‘Leather Apron ‘ was a frequent patron. Leather Apron was identified as John Pizer . Pizer was a Polish Jewish who worked as a boot finisher. And a leather apron would have been a uniform of his trade. Pizer was commonly referred to as “ Leather Apron” , and once his name got into the papers, his family feared for his life.

Thinking an angry mob would come to bring him to the police, he escaped to the countryside. You see, John Pizer had a prior conviction for a stabbing offence. AND he was suspected of a string of assaults on local prostitutes. But after the press coverage was mounting he was pressured into turning himself in. After much questioning by the police, he was released. Pized, as bad of a guy as he was, had two solid alibies for his whereabouts during the murders. Pizer had been at work during the murders and seen by more than a dozen other people. He was then ruled out as a suspect.

Henriques Street

Continue walking south along Commercial Street and stay with it as it crosses Whitechapel Road . Turn left when you reach Henriques Street and walk towards the iron gates of Harry Gosling Primary school . Henriques Street was called Berner Street in 1888. It was here that Jack’s fourth victim was found. Elizabeth Stride, or “Long Liz” as she was called, would be the first of two victims on September 30th. A night which would go by the infamous name “ the double event .”

Elizabeth Stride

Born in Gothenburg, Sweden, Elizabeth Stride came to London in 1866. She married John Stride, and the two lived a pretty good life together. They opened a coffee shop on Chrisp Street in 1870. Sadly her husband died in 1884, leaving Elizabeth with no way of making money.

Liz made most of her money from sewing, and only on very infrequent occasions did she work the streets. After leaving the Queen’s Head Pub she was seen on Berner Street by labourer William Marshall at 11:45 pm. He saw her in the doorway of 63 Berner Street talking to a man. The man wore a short black cutaway coat and sailor’s hat. They had been kissing, and he overheard the man say to Liz, “ You would say anything. .. but your prayers. ” A phrase that has been long repeated in Ripper stories.

Dutfield’s Yard

A few hours later, at 1:00 am, local jewellery seller, Louis Diemschutz , attempted to enter Dutfield’s Yard off Berner Street. Diemschutz was travelling home, as he did every night, with his cart and pony. The pony had walked this route hundreds of times before. But on this night, the pony was frightened by something and pulled left of the middle of the road. Louis Diemschutz jumped out of the cart to see what was wrong. In the darkness of the night, felt around with his whip and felt a large bundle on the ground. He figured it was his wife, asleep drunk in the streets as she had done many nights before. He lit a match and made out the shape of a woman but couldn’t see her face

He led the pony in the darkness into the yard and went into a local club to get a lantern. But when he entered, he found his wife safe and sound inside. He took a lantern with him into the yard, and it was there he discovered Elizabeth Stride’s body. But unlike the rest of the victims, only her throat was cut, and her body was still warm. In the darkness of the night when Louis Diemschutz got off his pony, it’s safe to assume that Jack the Ripper was interrupted. It’s safe to assume that if Diemschutz had had a lantern with him, he would have come face to face with the killer.

The Ripper Flees

Having almost been caught in the act, Jack the Ripper fled the scene. But he couldn’t rest just yet. He didn’t finish the job, and in a mad lust for mutilation, he went to find another victim. And Jack knew just where to go. We walk now in his rushed footsteps towards Saint Botolph Without Aldgate church. No doubt Jack would have taken the back streets, but we will retrace our steps along  Commercial street  and head west along  Whitechapel Road .

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Catherine Eddowes

Catherine Eddowes , a.k.a. Kate Kelly , was a scholarly woman of 46-years old but one who was possessed of a fierce temper. She entered into a partnership with Thomas Conway in 1862 when Eddowes was only 20 years old. But the two split in 1881 after having three children. Catherine got together with John Kelly shortly after her split with Conway, and the two were known to be a cheery couple.

In 1881, they moved into Cooney’s Lodging House at #55 Flower and Dean Street . Unlike the other women, Eddowes and Kelly had pretty steady jobs. During the summers would go to the countryside to go hop picking. Upon their return to the city in September 1888, they could not find any lodging houses for couples. Eddowes gave John Kelly some money to get himself a room in the men’s wards. Eddowes said she would head over to another lodging house on Shoe Lane to find herself a single bed.

Catherine Eddowes Arrest on September 30th

Eddowes went out but clearly found herself at the bar. At 8:30 pm on the night of the double event, Catherine Eddowes was found drunk by  PC Louis Robinson during his rounds outside 29 Aldgate High Street. Eddowes lying in the streets and picked up by PC Louis Robinson, who took her into Bishopsgate Police Station . After sobering up, around 1:00 am, she was released.

Saint Botolph Without Aldgate

Bishopsgate Police Station is located much nearer to her lodging house than where her body was found in Mitre’s square. Which was far south of the police station. Catherine Eddowes made her way from the police station, 10-minutes down the road to Saint Botolph Without Aldgate church . Every night, 200 prostitutes would circle this church, as they could not be seen loitering. This church was once known as “prostitute island,” and it was one of the most notorious places for men to pick up prostitutes in the entire city. Catherine Eddowes knew this, and so did Jack the Ripper. On the run from Berner Street, Jack the Ripper would have made his way here to finish what he started with Elizabeth Stride.

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Saint James’s Passage

Catherine Eddowes was spotted at 1:35 am at the corner of  Saint James’s Passage,  which leads directly into Mitres Square. She was spotted by three separate men. But only one,  Joseph Lawende , got a look at the man with whom she was speaking. 

A few rogue street lamps cast enough light on the scene for Lawende to see the couple. He never saw Eddowes’ face, as she had her back to him, but he could identify her by the clothing she was wearing. Lawende provided the police with a detailed description of the man. But only days later, he claimed that if he saw the man again, he wouldn’t recognize him. 

Jack the Ripper Spotted

At the time, Lawende told the police that the man he saw talking to Eddowes was around 30 years old, 5 foot 9 inches tall, with a medium build. The man had a fair complexion and a small fair moustache. He sported a reddish neckerchief, tied in a knot, wore a pepper-and-salt coloured, loose-fitting jacket. The suspect had on a grey, peaked cloth cap. Because Lawende saw this man with Eddowes just 15-minutes before her dead body was discovered means that Lawende would no doubt have seen the real face of the Ripper.

Mitre Square

Mitres square  was enclosed by massive series of warehouses with only a few houses around the central courtyard. Warehouses contained valuable goods, and in an area as poor as Whitechapel, they were ripe for robbery. So privately paid police officers surveyed the areas every 15-minutes. They were rigorously monitored and would not have missed their patrol for fear of being fired.  PC Edward Watkins  patrolled the square at 1:30 am with nothing to report.

Mitres square  was an advantageous spot for a murder. There were three separate entrances in and out of the courtyard. This meant even if Jack was caught in the act, he could escape without running into the witnesses. Perhaps Jack had been here before and already knew this spot well.

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Catherine’s Body is Discovered

At 1:45 am,  PC Edward Watkins  came back just as he had 15-minutes prior. But this time, he discovered Catherine’s horrifically mutilated body, found in the absolute darkest corner of the square. This means that the Ripper did all his dastardly work in the span of just 15-minutes. PC Edward Watkins reeled back by what he saw. Catherine Eddowes lay in a large pool of blood. Her clothes were pulled up over her waist, revealing her large stomach lacerations. Watkins ran to a nearby townhouse where a retired police officer worked as a night watchman. They quickly ran to get Dr. George William Sequeira from a nearby street to pronounce the woman’s death at 1:55 pm.

The officer found her on her back with her intestines drawn out of her body. A piece of her intestines was found several feet away from her body in an apparent dark design. This time the Ripper even smeared feculent matter over her body. He had brutally cut away at her womanhood, tearing the lower portion of her body to the point of it being unrecognizable. He even went so far as to stab her liver with an apparently pointed instrument and take a part of her kidney with him.

Her face was brutally mutilated, and some of the cuts went right down to the bone. Even her earlobes had been cut away. The scene proved to everyone that Jack wasn’t finished yet. And more than that, he was escalating the gruesomeness of his attacks.

The Autopsy of Catherine Eddowes

The coroner attested that “the perpetrator of the act must have had considerable knowledge of the position of the organs in the abdominal cavity and the way of removing them. It required a great deal of medical knowledge to remove the kidney and know where it was placed. The parts removed would be of no use for any professional purpose.”

The City of London Police

Catherine’s death in Mitres Square was important as it was located just inside the walls of the ancient City of London. Until now, all the murders had occurred in the jurisdiction of the London Metropolitan Police. But Mitres square was in the City of London. This meant the crimes now took on two sets of police. Inspector Edward Collard arrived from Bishopsgate Police Station and ordered an immediate search of the neighbourhood. Police spread throughout the city like wildfire to Jack on the run. They were instructed to even make door-to-door inquiries, yet Jack seemed to simply slip away into the night.

Goulston St

But as Jack seemed to evade police, he was in a rush that he left behind his only piece of evidence. We can follow his footsteps east along St Botolph Street, north up Middlesex Street, then turning right onto Goulston Street.

At around 2:20 am, when the body arrived at the mortuary, they noticed that a fragment of the woman’s apron had been ripped offer. Perhaps taken as a token for the killer. The police on patrol searched the streets, and this segment of the apron was found by PC Alfred Long along Goulston Street. He had previously searched the streets at 2:20 am and found nothing but at 2:55 am he discovered the apron. It was lying on the floor inside a doorway. The apron looked like it had been used to wipe away the blood, perhaps off the killer’s hands.

Because this piece of evidence ties us to Jack, it is interesting to consider why he would come this way. The streets to the east were cramped with many more residents who could have come upon him. He could have fled to the north where there were few police and more places to hide. The one major piece of speculation was that he was going home . Where he knew he could escape from the prowling hoards of police officers. This was a major break in the case as it seemed to solidify their theory that Jack lived locally.

Mysterious Graffito

Once PC Alfred Long had discovered the bloody piece of apron, he thought there might be another victim close by. So he searched the area further. Above the doorway where he found the apron, he found a message scrawled in chalk which read, “ The Juwes are the men that will not be blamed for nothing. ” When other PCs came to the scene, there was a real sense of dread. If the graffito was indeed written by Jack it was sure to cause a newspaper sensation. Which was sure to stoke the fires of antisemitism already on the rise.

In perhaps one of the biggest mistakes in the case, the graffito was wiped away. In the hope of hiding it from the press. But this meant that the handwriting could not be analyzed and compared to the other letters the police had received. Today, you can head into the Happy Days Fish and Chip Shop to dine on some delicious food and study a miniature recreation of the graffito left behind that day.

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From Hell Letters

Until this point, the name “Jack the Ripper” had yet to enter the mouths of people around London. Many hoaxes and prank letters, some count up to 700, passed through the police department. But almost all were quickly dismissed as false. But on September 27th, one letter caught the interest of inspectors but, more importantly, the newspapers.

I keep on hearing the police have caught me, but they won’t fix me just yet. I have laughed when they look so clever and talk about being on the right track. That joke about Leather Apron gave me real fits. I am down on whores, and I shan’t quit ripping them till I do get buckled. Grand work the last job was. I gave the lady no time to squeal.

How can they catch me now? I love my work and want to start again. You will soon hear of me with my funny little games. I saved some of the proper red stuff in a ginger beer bottle over the last job to write with, but it went thick like glue, and I can’t use it. Red ink is fit enough, I hope, haha.

The next job I do, I shall clip the lady’s ears off and send to the police officers just for jolly, wouldn’t you? Keep this letter back till I do a bit more work, then give it out straight.

My knife’s so nice and sharp. I want to get to work right away if I get a chance.

Yours truly

Jack the Ripper

Don’t mind me giving the trade name. Wasnt good enough to post this before I got all the red ink off my hands; curse it. No luck yet. They say I’m a doctor now. haha”

The letter was posted just a few days before the double murder. The part regarding “ clipping the lady’s ears off ” was particularly interesting as Catharine Eddowes’s earlobes had been so badly mutilated. The letter was also written in red ink with bloodstains, which could have been from one of his previous victims.

With almost no leads, the police thought they would release the letter to the public in the hopes of getting some help from the locals. Shortly after publishing this in the newspaper, another postcard came in that was of interest to the police. This one was also addressed to “ the boss ” and signed Jack the Ripper in the same hand as the previous letter. It read:

“I was not codding dear old Boss when I gave you a tip; you’ll hear about Saucy Jacky’s work tomorrow double event this time number one squealed a bit couldn’t finish straight off had not the time to get ears for police. Thanks for keeping the last letter back till I got to work again.” Jack the Ripper.

The postcard was post-marked October 1st , the day after the double event. So whoever wrote it, if it wasn’t Jack himself, would have had to copy the handwriting very quickly to get the letter into the post box quick enough to fool the police.

The Workhouse

Continue walking north along Goulston Street , which turns into Bell Lane . On the northwest corner, we can find one of Spitalfields’ oldest workhouses . You can find two entrances around the corner, one with the words “women” carved above and the other with the words “men.” This was because the men and women were separated inside these workhouses.

Every day around 200 men and women people would queue up outside in the hopes of getting a free bed and meal for the day in exchange for 16 hours of hard, hard labour. The beds were coffin-shaped boxes and sometimes were shared between two or more people. The situation was so dire that if they ran out of bed, they would hang ropes to the wall and then tie people onto the ropes to sleep. This is where we get the term “ hangers-on. “

Artillery Passage

Take a quick look down the Artillery Passage as this slice of the East End really is evocative of 1888s. And it is a rumour that this street was the exact location that ended up being the inspiration for Diagon Alley in Harry Potter .

13 Millers Court

The last spot on our tour was where Jack the Ripper committed his most heinous crime. But the building and street where this murder took place has since been destroyed. #13 Millers Court was located along Dorset Street , which ran east-west from Crispin Street to Commercial Street . But when the Corporation of London bought the Spitalfields Market in 1920, they demolished the north side of Dorset Street. This allowed them to expand the market into what is now the Fruit Exchange . But many of the side streets off Commercial Street can still evoke the feeling of what was once Miller’s Court . Take a walk down White’s Row , just behind the Workhouse. Walking along White’s Row you can even see the back of the buildings that would have faced into Miller’s Court.

Dorset Street

In 1888, Dorset street was home to several pubs, artisan workshops and, of course, lodging houses . In 1898, George Duckworth said of Dorset street, “ The worst street I have seen so far – thieves, prostitutes, bullies, all common lodging houses. Some called ‘doubles’ with double beds for married couples but merely another name for brothels. Women bedraggled, torn skirts, dirty, unkempt, square jaws standing about in the street or on doorsteps. “

Mary Jane Kelly

Mary Jane Kelly was the last and the youngest victim of Jack the Ripper. She was just 25 years old. Perhaps because of her young age, little is known about Mary Jane Kelly’s life. Anyone who knew her said she was a very kindly girl, and if she wasn’t in the liquor, she was a quiet woman. Most of the information we have about Mary Kelly comes from Joseph Barnett , her former lover. And anyone who has had a former lover knows that this information is bound to be slightly biased. She was married at the young age of 16, but her husband was killed in an explosion. After that, she went into prostitution to make ends meet and moved to London in 1884.

She began working in a high-class brothel in the West End as she was a pretty young thing. In 1886 she went to live in Cooley’s Lodging House in Spitalfield, where she met Joseph Barnett . The two tried to live a stable life without the prostitution. But, in September 1888, amid the Ripper murders, Barnett lost his job. With no money coming in, Mary Jane decided to return to the streets. Mary was a good-hearted woman and took a shine to the younger prostitutes she worked with. If they didn’t have enough money to pay for their rooms, she would invite them inside the room she shared with Barnett.

November 8th, 1888

This was the last straw for Barnett, and the two separated. The two tried to stay friends but it was obvious to everyone that Barnett had stronger feelings for Mary than she had for him. Interestingly, on the night of her murder, Barnett and Kelly fought loudly with each other. Their argument was heard by many of their neighbours. A window was broken and Barnett was seen storming out that night.

Hutchinson’s Account

On November 8th, 1888, Mary Kelly was known to be drinking at the Ten Bells Pub. She was seen with a woman named Elizabeth Foster until around 11:45 pm. Mary came home around 12:30 am when she was heard loudly singing outside her room. Causing quite the disturbance to the other residence. Around 2 am George Hutchinson sees Mary Kelly, and she asks him if he can lend her sixpence as she has fallen behind on her rent. He has nothing to spare, so she tells George Hutchinson that “ I must go and find some money ” and walks off in the direction of Thrawl Street.

Mary at the Queen’s Head Pub

Hutchinson watches Mary as she heads off to the Queen’s Head Pub, where she meets with a man. They stand together under the street light, and Hutchinson can make out a description of the man. He testified that he was 5′ 6″ or 5′ 7″ tall and about 35 or 36 years old. According to Hutchinson, he had a pale complexion, a slight moustache turned up at the corners, dark hair, dark eyes, and a “Jewish appearance.”

The man was wearing a soft felt hat pulled down over his eye and a long dark coat with a black necktie. He carried gloves in his right hand and a small package in his left. One can only wonder what was in this package. This was the last time Mary Kelly would be seen alive. And the man she was seen with by Hutchinson was doubtlessly Jack the Ripper.

Mary’s Body Discovered

At 4 am that night, Elizabeth Prater , who lived upstairs from Mary Kelly, heard the cry of “ Oh, murder! ” But once more, since the cry of murder was frequently heard in the district, she paid no attention to it and went back to bed. People in bar fights and streets brawls would often cry out, “oh murder” to get more attention from local police so Prater simply thought it was a street fight.

The following day, John McCarthy , the lodging house owner, sends Thomas Bowyer to collect past due rent money from Mary Kelly. Bowyer knocks on the door, but there is no answer. Knowing there is a broken window, he reaches inside to push away the curtains to see if anyone is home. When he does, he is the first to glimpse what was left of Mary Kelly’s body. Upon seeing the walls painted in blood, and her lifeless body, he runs back to inform McCarthy.

Inspectors Enter the Scene

The two go to the Commercial Street Police Station to let Inspector Walter Beck know of the murder. There was a very long delay between the time the body was found and the time the police entered the room. The police had been misinformed that bloodhounds were on their way. They hoped the hounds might be able to track the scent and find Jack the Ripper. But the hounds never arrived, and eventually, Superintendent Thomas Arnold took an axe to the door and entered the room.

The first person to enter the room was Inspectors Walter Dew and Walter Beck . Dew recalled in his memoirs;

“ As my thoughts go back to Miller’s Court, and what happened there, the old nausea, indignation and horror overwhelm me still… My mental picture of it remains as shockingly clear as though it were but yesterday…No savage could have been more barbaric. No wild animal could have done anything so horrifying. “

Inside Mary Kelly’s Room

What they found would be a scene that none of the officers present could ever forget. Since this was Jack’s first murder indoors, he had plenty of time to do his dark work. No one would interrupt him, and he had clearly indulged in the opportunity. Her clothes were neatly folded on the chair, and her boots were even set in front of the fireplace as if they were put out to dry. Mary was lying naked on the bed. The whole of the surface of the abdomen and thighs had been removed. And the abdominal cavity emptied of its viscera. The uterus and kidneys with one breast was found under her head. The other breast by the right foot, the liver between the feet, the intestines by the right side and the spleen by the left side of the body.

The flaps removed from the abdomen and thighs were almost neatly folded on the bedside table. Her face was torn apart, leaving her all but unrecognizable as a human being. The tissues of the neck were severed cut down to the bone. But her eyes, they were preserved. Dew said, “ …the poor woman’s eyes. They were wide open, and seemed to be staring straight at me with a look of terror. “

The Lasting Effect of Jack the Ripper

Although her gruesome death is unforgettable, it is seen as the last murder by the Ripper. Although there were several murders in the next few months which bared some similarities to the Ripper they were all ruled out as being done by the same man. To this day, only the five canonical women (Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman , Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly) are considered victims of Jack the Ripper.

Despite their grizzly deaths of these innocent women, they didn’t die entirely in vain. The deaths were reported widely in the paper, and it caught international attention. Newspapers as far off as New York City were reporting on the murders in Whitechapel. It drew attention to the fact that a city as prosperous as London could have such abject poverty contributing to the deaths of these innocents. People found it appealing to read about the conditions these unfortunate women lived in what they thought was a modern city.

A Change in Whitechapel

In fact, George Bernard Shaw was quoted as saying (in a tongue-in-cheek manner) that perhaps the murders were committed to for the sole purpose of bringing attention to the slums and to bring about social change. And not long after the murders, reform came to Whitechapel. The church of England and the Samaritans got involved and helped take young kids off the streets, so they didn’t fall into prostitution. They also provided more assistance for the poor in Whitechapel and Spitalfields.

Due to the lack of street lighting, Jack the Ripper could hide almost in plain sight. This resulted in the city investing more money into illuminating the dark alleys of the East End. Even today, cities find that installing additional lighting correlates with a crime reduction. Its easy to see how the deaths of the canonical five change Whitechapel foreer and their memories live on through the reform seen across the neighbourhood.

So Who was Jack the Ripper?

So who was Jack the Ripper ? Unfortunately, no one knows. Even the FBI has investigated this case and still, no one suspect has ever been clearly identified as the killer. Many people think its the mystery that keeps people so interested in the story even all these years later. Everyone is hoping to solve the mystery, if not just for themselves.

White Hart Pub

To end our tour why don’t you head over to the White Hart Pub on Whitechapel Road. This is the location where one of the suspects in the case even worked as a barber back in 1888! It is an old-fashioned pub that provides the perfect atmosphere for discussions into the identity of Jack the Ripper. The police, detectives and investigators themselves would have spent night after night in pubs like this discussing the motives and mannerisms of this monster. And even Jack the Ripper himself might have been drinking one a few feet away from where they sat.

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The Suspects

Over 2,000 people were interviewed during police investigation in the 1888s. Upwards of 300 people were investigated, and 80 people were detained. Entire books have been written on the subject of the suspects who might have been Jack the Ripper. Although there are hundreds of conspiracies and suspects, there are a few clear front runners. These are the ones who many professionals and investigators stand behind as their chief suspects. Discuss amongst yourself over a pint of beer, or better yet, a glass of gin. See if you can all agree on your pick for the identity of Jack the Ripper!

The FBI Profile

In 1998, an FBI profile was compiled by John Douglas of the National Centre for the Analysis of Violent Crime . The findings can give an idea of the key aspects of the murderer, which are important in identifying the killer.

• He was a White male, aged 28 to 36
• He lived or worked in the Whitechapel area as he had extensive knowledge of the area.
• In childhood, there was an absent or passive father figure.
• The killer probably had a profession in which he could legally experience his destructive tendencies and wouldn’t be put off by the sight of blood.
• Jack the Ripper probably ceased his killing because he was either arrested for some other crime, died or felt himself close to being discovered as the killer.
• The killer probably had some sort of physical defect, which was the source of a great deal of frustration or anger and may have had a hatred of women for their treatment of him resulting from this defect.

Although the real killer might not have all these characteristics, they provide a good framework for ruling out or focusing on suspects.

The Royal Conspiracy

I’ll say right off the bat that the famous “ Royal Conspiracy ,” which was made famous in a 1976 book by Stephen Knight and popularized in the 2001 movie ‘ From Hell ‘, is out and out fiction. The theory goes that P rince Albert Victor, son of Queen Victoria and next in line to the throne, married and fathered a child of a local Whitechapel unfortunate. To cover up the secret marriage between the second-in-line to the throne, the queen employed freemason and retired notable physician Sir William Gull . Stephen Knight got the information for his book from a descendant of painter Walter Sickert . Sickert claimed that Prince Albert Victor was an apprentice under Sickert and told Sickert of the crimes. After the book was published through the family member admitted the story was nothing but a hoax. It does make for good fiction, though.

Seweryn Antonowicz Kłosowski

Seeing as we are drinking inside the White Hart pub , we should first talk about Seweryn Antonowicz Kłosowski , aka George Chapman . Seweryn Antonowicz Kłosowski was a Polish immigrant who came to London between 1887 and 1888. He changed his name to George Chapman to assimilate into the antisemitic neighbourhood of East London. He moved into the Whitechapel area and worked as a barber under Ludwig Schloski at this very spot on Whitechapel Road in 1888. Unlike some of the other suspects on this list, Kłosowski was undoubtedly a killer. Although his suspicion as Jack the Ripper is just that, suspicion. 

Kłosowski had multiple “wives” over the years, although he never married any of them legally. When his last “wife,” Maud Marsh , died in 1902, people suspected foul play. When her body was examined, they determined she had been poisoned to death. Police immediately began questioning Kłosowski, and they found that his previous two wives had also died under questionable circumstances. They were all exhumed, and their bodies examined. Each one of them had been poisoned with the same compound tartar-emetic as Maud Marsh. Kłosowski was hanged for his crimes in 1903. 

Frederick Abberline Top Suspect

But after this discovery, Ripper investigator Frederick Abberline began looking into Kłosowski as his serial killer. Famously, Abberline’s favourite suspect was indeed Seweryn Kłosowski. Abberline interview Chapman’s last wife (who somehow survived), who told Abberline some horrifying details about his now main suspect. Chapman married Lucie Badewski in 1889, and they had two children. Lucie told Abberline that while she was pregnant, Klosowski had attacked her and told her that he planned to kill her and cover up the crime. Lucie recalled that during the Autumn of Terror of 1888, her husband would frequently go out during the night for hours and come back just before dawn.

Klosowski’s Knife

Abberline also found out that Klosowski had lived in the United States in 1891. While he was there, he “married” another woman Lucy Klosowska. Klosowska recalled that one day Klosowski forced her down on the bed and began to strangle her, only stopping when he heard a customer enter their shop. When he got up to leave, Klosowska found a long knife under his pillow. He reportedly later told her that he had planned to behead her, even pointing out where he would have buried her and reciting what he would have said to their neighbours.

All of this seems poignant, yet many professionals have pointed out the biggest issue with Seweryn Kłosowski as the killer is that most serial killers do not change the modus operandi so easily. From brutal mutilation of random prostitutes to poisoning his wives. This, in addition to the lack of any hard evidence, leaves us only to wonder.

Aaron Kosminski 

Aaron Kosminski was another Polish-born Jew who proved to be one of the most popular Jack the Ripper case subjects. And in recent years, the complications around his involvement have only become more convoluted. Kosminski moved to Whitechapel in 1880. It is important to note that his father did not come with the rest of the family when they immigrated. 

Barber-surgeons in Victorian England

When Kosminski arrived, he started working as an apprentice barber. It’s important to remember that barbers in Victorian London did more than just cut hair. Barber-surgeons, as they were called, provided grooming services as well as performed dental extractions, bloodletting, cupping therapy, minor surgeries and occasional amputations. Meaning any barber would have some basic anatomical knowledge.

In 1888, Kosminski lived either on Providence Street or Greenfield Street, both of which addresses are close to the sites of the murders. Aaron Kosminski was a troubled man with paranoid schizophrenia. His insanity took the form of auditory hallucinations, a refusal to wash or bathe, and “self-abuse.” In 1890, Kosminski was placed in a workhouse due to his worsening mental illness. The deterioration of his mental state does also coincides with the end of the Jack the Ripper Murders. In 1891, Kosminski was institutionalized after he threatened a woman with a knife. He was held at Leavesden Asylum until he died in 1919.

Sir Melville Macnaghten’s Memo

Years later, in 1959, a memo from Sir Melville Macnaghten, the Assistant Chief Constable of the London Metropolitan Police, was discovered. The memo dated in 1894 named a few of Macnaghten’s top suspects, including a Polish Jew called “Kosminski.” Macnaghten noted that his Kosminski matched the description of the Ripper and was even identified as the Ripper by a witness. But the witness refused to testify against a fellow Jew.

The DNA Connection

In 2019, the Journal of Forensic Sciences published a study that claimed DNA from Kosminski and Catherine Eddowes was found on the shawl. This immediately sounds like a huge break in the case, but many people have dismissed these claims as unreliable. The shawl was bought at auction by an amateur Riiperologist who aimed to solve the case for himself. But the provenance of the shaw is very sketchy, to say the least. And the apparent DNA analysis is only tenuously linked to Kosminski and Catherine Eddowes.

In addition to the flimsy DNA analysis, Kosminski’s behaviour in the asylum is also at odds with a typical serial kill. He was described as harmless, and many psychological experts state that a killer like this would brag about his crimes. There is not a single piece of evidence to suggest he even knew about the crimes based on a discussion he had during his almost 30 years in the asylum.

Joseph Barnett

If you remember when we spoke about the final victim Mary Jane Kelly, you might recall the name Joseph Barnett. Joseph Barnett was the ex-lover of Kelly’s and is one of the more interesting suspects in the case. The theory goes that Barnett was obsessed with Mary Kelly and hated that she was prostituting herself to other men. When he read about the murder of Matha Tabram, he saw how visibly shaken up Mary Kelly was after the fact. Even giving up going out at night for a few weeks. But when Barnett lost his job as a fish porter and Mary returned to work, Barnett felt he needed to do something drastic.

Murder For the Love of a Woman

In an attempt to “scare” Kelly off the streets, Barnett went about his own murder press. My murdering not only prostitute but also people which Mary Kelly was proved to have known he felt this would entice he even further to give up the job for good. But on that fabled night in November 1888, when Barnett and Kelly fought in her apartment, it was perhaps made clear to Barnett for the first time that Kelly would never love Barnett the way Barnett loved Kelly.

In a jealous rage, he waited until the man she was with on the night of November 9th left and slipped inside, through the broken window he no doubt had smashed earlier and killed Kelly in a lover frenzy. The extent of her wounds suggested to many detectives of fury only a scorned lover or close contact could possess towards the victim. In addition to this, it was with the death of Mary Kelly that the ceased.

Barnett Fits the Profile 

Barnett fit the physical description of the Ripper very well. Joseph’s father died when he was six, leaving him without a strong father figure. Barnett was 30-years old, with a moustache, fair complexion, medium build and was about 5′ 7″. He also lived within a mile of Whitechapel his entire life. He would have had very detailed knowledge of the area. Barnett worked as a fish porter and undoubtedly was experienced in deboning and gutting fish, so the sight of butchering a woman wouldn’t be too much of a stretch. Barnett was also speculated to have had echolalia, a psychiatric disorder resulting in a speech impediment.

Despite all these glaring similarities to the FBI profile of the killer, Barnett was interviewed by police for only four hours after Mary Kelly’s murder. For one reason or another, they seemed uninterested in pursuing him as a prime suspect. I certainly can’t understand why the police wouldn’t have followed this lead further. In my opinion, he is my top choice for who I think was indeed Jack the Ripper.

But who do you think he was? Let me know in the comments!

I hope you enjoyed this tour and learned more about life in London in 1888, in addition to these dark tales of Jack the Ripper. 

Happy Travels, Adventurers!

Resources: Jack the Ripper.org | Casebook.org | WikiCommons

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Free Jack the Ripper Walking Tour

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The year is 1888. A serial killer, known to the media as Jack the Ripper is terrorizing London’s desperately poor East End.

His target? The so-called ‘unfortunates’ – women working on the streets and alleyways of London slums to earn money for life’s basics.

These brutal murders, set against the chaotic filth and poverty of the Victorian London district of Whitechapel, also known as the Whitechapel Murders, will change the world forever.

The conspiracy theories of the Jack the Ripper case continue to fascinate millions of people around the world.

And millions continue to guess the true identity of the killer.

No trip to London is complete without taking part in a free Jack the Ripper tour, a real murder mystery.

FREE TOURS BY FOOT

We here at Free Tours By Foot are proud to offer the best alternative Jack the Ripper tour in London.

We were the first company to offer free Jack the Ripper tours, and we like to provide our guests with an in-depth look at the case.

This is a tour for the true-crime buff and the history junkie alike (watch our video above, which might as well be a television documentary or drama)

So, come out with our guides ( or walk with our GPS audio tour app ) as we wind you through small lanes, crooked back streets, and Jack the Ripper murder locations, all guaranteed to send shivers down your spine.

Our tour gives you insight into the real Jack the Ripper history – you’ll leave with an understanding of the crimes that no other tour can provide.

Written by a dark history and true crime expert, Free Tours By Foot is proud to offer the best London Jack the Ripper tour. Book now – if you dare.

Here's a sample from our audio tour to get a taste of what you might hear.

Jack the Ripper Tour information

Reservations:  Required.  Click here to reserve . Walk-ups will be permitted only if space is available.

When:  Saturdays at 18:00 (6 pm), or take this tour anytime on your own with our  GPS-led audio tour .

Where:  The tour meets outside the Saint Botolph Without Aldgate. Use our Google Maps  for directions to the tour starting point .

*NOTE: Please ensure you are headed to the correct St. Botolph! There is another  Saint Botolph Church with Aldersgate   about 20 minutes away. Note the difference between Aldgate and Aldersgate.

This is the starting point for FREE TOURS BY FOOT's Tour. If you booked with a different company, be sure to check the starting point information on the confirmation email that was sent as not all Jack the Ripper tours start here!

The tour endpoint is within walking distance of Liverpool Street and Aldgate Stations.

Duration:  Approximately 2 hours.

Cost:  This tour is free to join, and you get to decide what, if anything, the tour was worth when it's done. A  name-your-own-price tour  is a tour for anyone's budget.

Jack the Ripper private tours are also offered by our excellent team!

MAP AND SELF-GUIDED TOUR OF JACK THE RIPPER LOCATIONS

This is a free Jack the Ripper Tour and map of important locations in these unsolved murders.

We recommend taking our more in-depth  GPS-led audio tour  (£1.99).

The audio tour has more detailed descriptions of crime scenes and horrific slayings by an unidentified assailant, known as Jack the Ripper. 

Here's a sample.

We also offer a guided  Jack the Ripper Tour  in person.

Throughout this walk, we will discuss the unsolved, brutal murders, of five London's East End prostitutes.

Tour Length : 

• 3 miles - just under 5 km
• Approximately 2.5 hours, depending on your walking pace
• 14 stops, with a discussion of the aftermath

NOTE : For guests with mobility issues, or those with prams or buggies, there are no steps on the route, but there are cobbled streets to take into consideration.

This self-guided Jack the Ripper Walking Tour begins near Whitechapel Underground Station. 

Click the map to enlarge or to use on a smartphone.

A - Victim #1 - Mary Ann Nicholls

Exit Whitechapel Station and turn LEFT. The road dead-ends on Durward Street where you should take a RIGHT.

Walk to the old school building - the large brick building - ahead, if possible. If construction prevents you from getting there, simply stand as close as you can. 

Our story begins on the 31st of August 1888. The ‘Autumn of Terror’ is about to begin when the first victim of the canonical five is murdered right here: Mary Ann Nicholls.

Mary left the Frying Pan Pub around half past midnight. She was found at 3:40 am.

The Police Constable sees that her throat has been violently slit - from left to right, twice over, with the incision going all the way through to her vertebrae. 

Detective Chief Inspector Frederick Aberline is called to work on the case and he is determined to bring Mary’s killer to justice.

( Learn more about the suspects )

But Frederick finds there is nobody with a bad word to say against Mary Nichols. With no idea of a perpetrator or motive, an entire week passes with no progress on finding her killer. 

Seven nights after the murder of Mary Ann Nicholls, Jack the Ripper would strike again.

B - Victim #2 - Annie Chapman

Backtrack along Durward Street until you get to Vallance Road and turn RIGHT. Take the first LEFT onto Old Montague Street and an immediate RIGHT onto Hanbury Street. Continue on Hanbury Street.

As you walk you will pass Deal Street and Spital Street, and you will cross Brick Lane until you reach a car park on the RIGHT-hand side - opposite 28 or 32 Hanbury Street.

The house where Jack the Ripper’s second victim, Annie Chapman, was murdered, no longer stands. But it would have looked similar to the houses you see across the street, such as Numbers 28 and 32. 

A small space off the street, that offered a little privacy made the back gardens of Hanbury Street a popular location for prostitutes to take their clients.

At 5:40 am, a man living above 29 Hanbury St came downstairs and into the back courtyard where he discovered the body of Annie Chapman.

She was slumped against the fence with her throat slashed and her body cut open from her groin to her chest, nearly cut into two. 

C - Frying Pan Public House - Where Mary Nicholls Last Seen Alive

Continue down Hanbury Street and turn LEFT onto Wilkes St.

Take the second LEFT onto Fournier Street, lined with original 18th-century homes, giving you an idea of how the buildings in this neighbourhood appeared in the 1880s.

Take a RIGHT onto Brick Lane and walk down. Stop when you get to the decorative archway that spans the road. When under the arch, turn around to face where you just walked from and take a look at the Shaad Restaurant. 

The Shaad Restaurant is the site of the former Frying Pan Pub. The two crossed frying pans carved into the stone are the original decoration of this 19th-century pub.

This is the pub where Mary Nicholls drank away her money on the 30th of August, 1888.

She is reported to have stumbled out of the pub around half past midnight and was seen by her friend just around the corner a few minutes later.

Somewhere between where you stand now and where our tour began, Mary would run into Jack the Ripper and her life would come to an end.

D - Early Suspects - Kosminski and John Pizer -  Mulberry Street / Zion Square 

Continue down Brick Lane. When you get to Whitechapel Road, cross the street and enter Altab Ali Park. Walk diagonally to your LEFT, through the park, and exit the park onto Alder Street. Go RIGHT and immediately turn LEFT onto Mulberry Street. Stop in the middle of the buildings on the right.

None of the original buildings from the Victorian era still stand here, but in the 1880s there was a square of houses here, which housed mostly Jewish immigrants.

This densely populated area was home to two suspects in the Jack the Ripper murder investigations: Aaron Kosminski and John Pizer.

John Pizer had a prior conviction for a stabbing offense and was suspected of a string of assaults on local prostitutes.

He was arrested after the Ripper’s first two murders but was cleared as there was no concrete evidence against him, and he had strong alibis for the nights the murders were committed.

Kosminski was known to be mentally unstable, having previously threatened multiple women with knives.

In memoirs published in 1910, Assistant Commissioner Sir Robert Anderson also names Kosminski as his prime suspect.

His reasoning is that he believed Jack the Ripper was a local Jewish man of low class and Kosminski was known to be mentally unstable, having previously threatened multiple women with knives.

Anderson also claimed that the identity of the Ripper was known by one person who wasn’t willing to testify as they were also Jewish and didn’t wish to turn over a fellow Jew to the police.

E - Victim #3 - Elizabeth Stride -  Henriques Street 

Continue down Mulberry Street and take a RIGHT onto Plumber’s Row. And the end of the road, turn RIGHT onto Coke Street and take the first LEFT onto Weyhill Road.

When that road ends, turn LEFT onto Commerical Road and take the first RIGHT onto Henriques Street, formerly known as Berner Street. Walk along until you come to the Bernhard Baron Building on your LEFT.

You are standing now where Jack the Ripper’s third victim would meet her untimely end.

Elizabeth Stride was the Ripper’s only non-English victim.

She had moved to London at the age of 22 and married a local man. It appears that she took up prostitution again, part-time, after the collapse of her marriage.

In the early hours of the 30th of September, a man's horse shied away from the movement in the dark streets. After the man returned to the scene with his lantern, he found the body of Elizabeth Stride.

It is believed that the Ripper was interrupted, and the man's retreat to the pub to pick up his lantern gave the culprit enough time to flee the area. 

But Jack the Ripper was not yet done for the night.

F - St. Botolph-Without-Aldgate

Retrace your steps to Commercial Street and take a LEFT. Follow the road until it dead-ends then take a LEFT onto busy Whitechapel Street.

Pass Aldgate Station, then Aldgate East Station, until you get to the church of St. Botolph-Without-Aldgate Church. This is your next stop.

Prostitution was illegal. However, since the police understood prostitution was the women's only means of survival, there were two rules for area prostitutes: 

• Prostitutes could not loiter or stay in a single place for a long time - they had to always keep moving. 
• The women were not allowed to approach customers, the customers had to approach them. 

Providing the women followed these rules, the police would turn a blind eye. For this reason, up to 200 prostitutes a night continuously walked in circles around this church, waiting for clients.

Jack the Ripper’s fourth victim was last seen alive circling this building.

G - Victim #4 - Catherine Eddowes

On your RIGHT are some interesting pictures and information about the history of the Whitechapel area, which may help give you a visual reference to how this area looked during the time these murders took place.

After viewing those, turn LEFT and walk between the buildings until the space opens into Mitre Square.

The proximity of this location to St. Botolph’s Church leads us to believe that after being interrupted during his slaying of Elizabeth Stride, Jack the Ripper headed straight to the prostitutes' church to pick up his next victim, Catherine Eddowes.

An eye-witness report puts Catherine at the entrance of this alleyway at 1:35 am, in conversation with a man. The PC on duty the night of Catherine’s murder passed by at 1:45 am, finding her mutilated body at the bottom of this passage in the darkest corner of Mitre Square. 

The state of her body and a missing organ after less than 15 minutes suggested a rage and fury that had not yet been seen in the Ripper case. 

Walk to the end of Mitre Square and pause when you get to the gates on your LEFT. Just through the gates is a tree - this is the approximate location of where Catherine Eddowe’s body was found.

H - Evidence- Graffiti and Apron Found

Now, turn RIGHT onto Mitre Street. Take the first RIGHT onto Creechurch Lane which you should then follow along until it turns into Stoney Lane as you walk across Houndsditch Road.

Walk ahead until you come to White Kennett Street where you will make a RIGHT. Take the first LEFT onto Gravel Lane and walk until the lane stops at Middlesex Street.

Take a LEFT then an immediate RIGHT onto New Goulston Street. Walk until the Street Ends at Goulston Street.

Across the street stands the Wentworth Model Dwellings. Take a look at the doorway between numbers 40/41.

An hour after Catherine Eddowe’s body was found in Mitre Square, PC Alfred Long stumbled across a bloody piece of cloth taken from Catherine’s apron, stuck to the doorway.

And written in red chalk: ‘ The Juwes [original spelling] are the Men that will not be blamed for nothing. ’ This is one of the only clues discovered during the period Jack the Ripper was active.

The bloody pattern of the knife blade on the apron appeared to belong to a type of knife used in surgical amputations. So at the very least, this suggested to the police that Jack the Ripper had access to surgical weapons. 

I - The Workhouse

With New Goulston Street at your back, turn LEFT onto Goulston Street. Keep walking and Goulston Street turns into Bell Lane.

Keep following until you see Frying Pan Alley on your LEFT. Just past this, still on Bell Street is the old workhouse. 

You’ll notice two entrances here, separate doorways for men and women. On a typical day, you would have around 200 women and children queuing up for a place in the house, and a similar number of men on their side.

The dormitories themselves only slept 200 in coffin-shaped boxes. If a person arrived when all the beds had been allocated, they would be given a rope attached to the wall and would have to sleep upright against the rope.

These workhouses were horrendous places to be. And the price for all of this? A 16-hour shift of manual labour.

Today this building serves a student accommodation for the London School of Economics - and are hopefully a bit more comfortable today than they were just over a century ago.

J - Victim #5 - Mary Jane Kelly

With the Workhouse to your back, look across the street to the modern building directly opposite you.

This building sits on the site of what used to be Dorset Street, and the location of Jack the Ripper’s final slaying.

In the 19th century, Dorset Street was considered to be the most dangerous Street in London - and some said even the entire country.

A person walking down that street in the 1880s would be unlikely to make it all the way down retaining all their possessions.

This is the murder site of the Ripper’s final victim: Mary Kelly, who lived at 13 Millers Court here on Dorset Street.

A 24-year-old Irish girl, Kelly was to be the last known Jack the Ripper’s victims.

Her murder was so brutal and the desecration of her corpse so barbaric that the only way she could be identified was by the clothing she had been wearing the night before.

Why? Hers was the first of the Ripper’s murders to take place indoors.

Without having to constantly look over his shoulder to avoid detection, the murderer had all the time in the world.

And this horrific scene provided the imagery of the first-ever crime scene photograph.

14 - End of The Line

From here, we will walk to the location where Jack the Ripper would have emerged from Dorset Street all those years ago.

Still with the workhouse behind you, take the street that is slightly to the right and ahead of you, White’s Row.

Walk until you get to the corner of Toynbee Street and then turn LEFT. Walk until you get to the corner of Brushfield Street.

Jack the Ripper would have walked out of Mary Jane Kelly’s room, headed down Dorset Street, and onto the road we are standing on here.

And what would he have seen? Nearly exactly what you are seeing right now: St. Christ’s Church Spitalfields, Spitalfields Market, and the Ten Bells Pub. 

All five of his victims were known drinkers at the Ten Bells.

It is the belief of investigators both at the time and now that whoever Jack the Ripper was, it’s incredibly likely he was a regular at the Ten Bells.

Now cross the street to Christ’s Church and stand nearby, surveying the buildings here and the unchanged streets surrounding you as we pause to consider who the Jack the Ripper may have been.

There have been over 300 suspects in the Jack the Ripper murder investigations. For brevity’s sake, we will take you down a few of the top suspects.

• Aaron Kominsky, a known misogynist previously mentioned
• Montague Druitt, a school teacher and banker who fit the physical description of Jack the Ripper
• Walter Sickertt, a well-known impressionist artist with an interest in Jack the Ripper
• Prince Albert Victor, Queen Victoria’s eldest son who has a rumored child with a Whitechapel prostitute
• Dr. Frances Tumbledy, an American quack-doctor from upstate New York and known misogynist 

There are dozens more, and even suggestions of a JANE the Ripper, rather than a Jack.

But each theory has its supporters and detractors and the reality of the situation is that it’s highly unlikely the killer’s identity will ever be positively known.

16 - Aftermath and Conclusion

It is worth mentioning that the Ripper killings had long-lasting and far-reaching positive ramifications for the people of the East End. 

This now-legendary story was the first tabloid murder sensation!

With all this attention on Whitechapel, people all over the world were wondering why, in the richest and largest city on earth, were their own people living in these conditions.

Massive social reform came about as a result of the murders with new charities and actions by The Good Samaritans and the Church of England to end child homelessness and help the poor.

Even American millionaires got involved.

If you’ve enjoyed your Jack the Ripper Tour with us, take a look at our other self-guided tours :

• City of London
• Royal London
• Harry Potter 

We also offer pay-what-you-like  walking tours on a daily basis here in London and we’d love to have you join us - simply make a reservation online.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Was Jack the Ripper ever found?

No, Jack the Ripper was never found. The identity of the notorious serial killer remains a mystery to this day.

As per the latest news reports, Mr Hyam Hyams, a cigar maker who lived in the area, has been identified by some as Jack the Ripper.

Every few years, new details of the infamous killer are revealed, but so far confirmation of the identity of the killer has not been established.

How long does a free Jack the Ripper tour take?

A free tour typically takes around 2 to 3 hours. Tour durations may vary depending on the guide and group size.

Is the free Jack the Ripper tour suitable for children?

Most tour operators state that the tours are not suitable for children under 12.

However, exact suitability differs from tour to tour, and there's a strong likelihood that some children will be more than comfortable. Ultimately, the decision about whether or not to bring your kids along is up to your own discretion, but do keep in mind that most tours include brutal details about the murders which may disturb younger guests.

Is the free Jack the Ripper tour scary?

Yes, the free tour of Jack the Ripper can be scary for some people, especially those who are easily frightened or sensitive to gruesome and dark historical content.

The tour typically delves into London's dark history and details the brutal murders committed by Jack the Ripper.

Guides may use dramatic storytelling to create a spooky and atmospheric experience.

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Whitechapel Walking Tour

The Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel Road, Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets, London. View from north.

235-247 Whitechapel Road, Whitechapel. View from south west.

4-8 White Church Lane, Whitechapel. View from west.

Focusing on architectural and social histories, this walking tour of London’s East End highlights stories of immigration, religion, care, and entertainment in the local area.

Sites include Altab Ali Park , Whitechapel Bell Foundry , East London Mosque , Royal London Hospital and Wilton’s Music Hall , among others.

In association with the Survey of London, Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London.

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Free Jack the Ripper Tour London

• Unveil the secrets of Whitechapel while you hear about the most infamous murders in London’s history.
• Discover the dark side of Victorian Britain , and the grueling living conditions of those who were pushed out to the East End.
• Who was Jack the Ripper? Hear about all the suspects and theories to try to solve the puzzle.

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