Jack the Ripper Tour of London
Use a Booklet as Your Walking Guide to the Whitechapel Murder Sites
Make your own Jack the Ripper tour of London using this Louis' London Walks book to guide you round the notorious Ripper murder sites in east London's Whitechapel.
There are plenty of guided Jack the Ripper tours of London, often in the evenings when the dark night adds an ominous feeling to the proceedings. London's Whitechapel, where the bodies of the murder victims were found, still has plenty of back alleys and atmospheric pubs, including the oldest tavern in London. But if you can't join one of the guided tours you can always do it yourself, using the Jack the Ripper Walk book in the always enjoyable Louis' London Walks series of guided walking booklets.
The Jack the Ripper Walk book is only 16 pages, and at 6" x 4" it easily fits into your pocket or purse. But the small size is misleading, as the book packs in everything you need in order to do your own Jack the Ripper tour of London. The walk starts at Aldgate underground station and ends at Whitechapel tube station, just a few stops from London's West End making it easily accessible. But you are advised not to do the walk on your own after dark.
Map and Introduction
At the front of the book is a full-page map showing you all the stops and the streets that you'll need. There's also a page-long Introduction, setting the scene for the notorious unsolved murders, describing life – and death – in Whitechapel in the late 1880s. It was a time of poverty, slum housing, and a pub on every corner, many of them open all day. The Ripper's victims were among the many women forced into a life on the streets, the only way they could make some money to pay for a bed for the night and avoid starvation.
St James's Passage
The London historical background continues in the first few stops, as the author relates a few stories as the route passes the Church of St Botolph, Sir John Cass's Foundation School, and the Bevis Marks Synagogue, before arriving at St James's Passage. It was here that Jack the Ripper's fourth victim, Catherine Eddows, was last seen alive, talking to a man thought to be the Ripper himself. The two people who saw them are believed to be the only witnesses who ever saw the Ripper at work, apart from his victims. Nearby is Mitre Square, where Eddows's body was found.
Hoop and Grapes Pub
The Hoop and Grapes is said to be the oldest surviving pub in London, one of the few buildings to have survived the Great Fire of London in 1666 and certainly known to Jack the Ripper and his victims.
The Jack the Ripper tour continues past incongruous names like Angel Alley and Fashion Street, on to other murder sites – the walk covers six of the original murder sites in all. The Ripper is believed to have murdered at least five women for sure, but the police investigated eleven Whitechapel murders in connection with the case, with possibly another seven being linked to the killer.
Due to their gruesome nature, and the fact that they were never solved, the story of the murders in Whitechapel have fascinated people ever since. They may be unpleasant in the extreme, but history isn't always pleasant, and people will always have a macabre interest in death and murder. This Jack the Ripper Walk booklet enables visitors to put together their own London tour, and is as highly recommended as all the others in a marvellous and affordable series.
Other titles in the Louis' London Walks series are:
- The Kray Twins Walk
- A Walk Around Haunted London
- A Historical Walk through William Shakespeare's London
- The Beatles in London Walk
- A Historical Riverside London Pub Walk
- A Walk Around Charles Dickens' London
- The Sherlock Holmes Walk
- A Walk through Princess Diana's London (currently being reprinted)
The Jack the Ripper Walk is published by Louis' London Walks at £2.50 plus postage, and available from their website.
