TRY BEFORE YOU BUY
Here’s how Richard’s high-end, VIP, Small Group Guaranteed Ripper Walk gets underway
DON’T JUST TAKE IT FROM US
Ripper Walk connoisseur Carl Ryker went on Richard’s VIP, Small Group Guaranteed Walk a few days ago. Here’s Carl Ryker’s review. It’s a crystallisation of the 424 reviews the walk has received. “I can recommend this tour without reservation. I have been on a JTR tour no fewer than ten times, most of those led by Donald Rumbelow. Richard’s tour, however, is technically more advanced, with headsets to allow for more info to be shared while walking. Moreover, Richard provided information and insights that I had either not heard or considered. With an emphasis on the victims, Richard relayed details that would inspire any Ripperologist to reexamine all that you think you know. Last, Richard is affable, engaging, and passionate about the subject. Do yourself a favor and take this tour.” Carl Ryker, March 3, 2025
THE ROLLS ROYCE OF RIPPER WALKS
We hold this truth to be self-evident…
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR
This one’s the high-end Ripper Walk. Yes, it costs a bit more but you get more. A lot more.
You know the acronym USP – Unique Selling Point? Well, this walk has four USPs.
1. It’s sui generis. And it’s only available from London Walks
2. The unbeatable – and indeed unique – combination of a world-class guide and 24-carat, high-end technology.
3. Guaranteed small group tour. A small group tour that is the ideal size. The sine qua non for a more intimate, coherent group. There’s never a distracting, ragtag element. And if you have questions, well, you get a lot more individual attention from Richard, your – bears repeating,* this – world-class guide.
4. The huge advantage of the high-end sound system Richard uses. He doesn’t have to declaim, doesn’t have to belt the decibels out. He talks in a natural, quiet, conversational voice and you hear every word. It’s like walking with a friend who’s quietly telling you something for your ears only.
Huge advantage indeed. It’s magic: it simultaneously speeds the walk up and slows it down. If there’s something of interest in passing you hear about it as you go by. It liberates the tour from the confines – the straitjacket – of the ‘guiding’ only taking place at designated ‘stops.’
And it speeds it up because there’s no ‘dead time,’ no standing around for 25 to 30 seconds or so waiting for a slower walker to catch up. (And boy do those seconds add up over the course of a walk.) Or indeed waiting for someone who’s hung back to take photographs.
Whether you’re walking almost arm in arm with Richard – or bringing up the rear – it doesn’t matter. Everybody hears every word. And embarras de richesses, if there’s a ledge or a bench 40 yards or so from one of Richard’s stops and somebody wants to avail themselves of it – get off their feet for a couple of minutes – well, they can do so, they can have a sit down on that bench and they don’t miss out. They hear every word, as if Richard were at their side whispering in their ear.
So, yes, there’s a huge advantage. Correction: huge advantages plural. You pay £10 more but what you get in return is worth a lot more than that extra tenner.
*And it’s not just us “repeating” it; take a look at what the 429***** five-star reviews say over and over again.
That’s 429***** five-star reviews across the board: 198 of them Trip Advisor reviews; 60 of them Google reviews; and 171 of them London Walks reviews.
Case closed?
MEET YOUR GUIDE
Here’s Richard talking about the area, the times, the people, the walk
DON’T JUST TAKE IT FROM US
“It is absolutely worth the money and time, twice over!”
Here’s a recent review.
“The wireless system works wonderfully and gives the opportunity to share even more facts, anecdotes, suspects and circumstances. A two-hour tour felt like 20 minutes and still I have the idea that he hasn’t shared a tenth of all he knows. It is absolutely worth the money and time, twice over! If there is one tour to do when you visit London and the East End, it’s this one, with Richard.”
Here, below, is nonpareil guide Richard Walker talking about his small group Ripper walk.
There are plenty of Ripper walks and you will probably only go on one.
London Walks guide Richard Walker will lead you through the murder sites starting right where Jack began . . .in the infamous Buck’s Row, Whitechapel.
Practicals:
The small group Ripper walk takes place at 7 pm every Thursday and every Friday evening. But do check the calendar because there are a few exceptions that prove the rule. Earlier this summer, for example, Richard put on an extra one on Monday, June 10th, 2024. The extra one because of demand – the Thursday and Friday that week were fully booked.
Meeting point: The starting point of this walk is Whitechapel Tube Station and the tour ends near Liverpool Street station.
Price: £30 per person
Numbers are strictly limited to 15 so you must buy your ticket online. Only ticket holders can join this tour – so the small group size is locked in. We cannot make exceptions – if you want to book for two but there is only one place left, we are sorry but only one more person can get a ticket.
Whitechapel in the ancient parish of Stepney.
Stepney* olde English – ‘the landing place’.
For centuries the world supplied the City of London with all it required and it all passed through the Whitechapel docks in the parish of Stepney.
And it wasn’t just goods that arrived.
Refugees from the Huguenots of France, to the starving masses of Ireland, to the persecuted Jews of Europe all made their way to the lanes and alleys of Whitechapel and Spitalfields.
And so did . . .
The monster we call… Jack the Ripper
And the Whitechapel of the 1880s was made for Jack the Ripper.
It was a world of foul tenements, starving children and bottomless despair.
This is Whitechapel and this is the world of Jack the Ripper. It is one heck of a story and I want to tell it to you.
Click here to listen to The World of Jack the Ripper, another short scene-setter podcast by Richard.
Itinerary
I have been guiding for London Walks for 15 years and the Jack the Ripper walking tour was my first.
This is a new twist. I’m starting at Whitechapel Underground Station because this is where Jack the Ripper murders began. Right behind Whitechapel Underground Station in Buck’s Row – now called Durward Street.
Charles Cross and Robert Paul discovered the body of a 43 year-old mother of five children. Mary Ann Nichols known as Polly Nichols ended up walking the mean streets of Whitechapel in the early hours of the 31st of August 1888. A woman whose life was ended by a serial killer who killed at least 4 other vulnerable women on the streets of Victorian London.
Polly Nichols: a victim of a divided society; one of many who suffered in a black hole that festered in the richest city in the world.
We will head to 29 Hanbury Street where Annie Chapman became the second victim. We will get to Spitalfields Market and the Ten Bells Pub by way Brick Lane, Princelet Street and Puma Court. Back streets that still capture the feel of 18th and 19th century Whitechapel. We will see where the worst street in London once stood – Dorset Street. Miller’s Court where the brutal murder of Mary Kelly took place on November the 9th 1888.
Christ Church Spitalfields
Nicholas Hawksmoor’s magnificent church built between 1714 and 1729. An impressive landmark for the 5 ripper victims and still impressing.
The Ten Bells Pub
The Ten Bells pub that stands across the road from Christ Church Spitalfields. And it is from the ten bells that hang in the church steeple that the pub gets its name. It’s believed that at least some of the victims would have drowned their sorrows there. And almost certainly ‘Jack’ would have been seen propping up the bar there.
Image caption: Yes we can still see the Whitechapel and Spitalfields of bygone days. Dark streets light by gaslight.
Bucks Row & The Board School
Buck’s Row has changed since 1888 it’s now called Durward Street. But the board school building where Polly’s body was found is still there.
This is the board school as it was when Polly was found against the gates where the arrow points. And it’s the first location that we will visit.
The People Of The Walk
The People of the Abyss
Jack London spent seven weeks trying to survive the “Abyss”. He said he’d seen poverty in the USA but nothing like the poverty he saw in the East-end of London.
Courtesans of the 19th century
The Victims
Mary Ann Nichols (known as Polly Nichols), Annie Chapman, Liz Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly were dismissed as prostitutes by the police and journalists – though their judgement may have owed more to male attitudes to women than to hard evidence.
Four of them were over 40 and three of them had raised children before a combination of stress and alcohol left them sinking into the abyss.
Certainly Ripperologist Halle Rubenhold is reasonably certain that not all of these women sold sex. The Five is an excellent book which maybe should be compulsory reading for some tour guides who still like to dwell on the depths of depravity that they like to imagine these women sank.
It might be worth concentrating the spotlight onto what kind of society it was that left these women at the mercy of monsters.
From the Guide
I want to do justice to Jack the Ripper’s Whitechapel – especially the victims.
And I want to share the diverse and vibrant world that Whitechapel is today and in order to do that numbers are restricted – which is why you must book online to secure your place!
There is nothing better than sharing London with visitors from near and far. I hope that you will be one of them.
From the walkers – a soupçon of the hundreds of reviews
Thanks Richard that was so interesting and what a great end to the week! You have a fabulous way of narrating and giving context to the mysteries that remain to this day about jack the Ripper. I really appreciated you bringing me back to remembering and bringing focus back to the women who were victims of his horrendous crimes. – Lucy
Really enjoyed it! Fascinating. Thank you from North Carolina,. USA. – Kendi
I will definitely join you again – very interesting thank you! – Claire
Hi Richard, Really enjoyed the virtual tour the other evening, especially the 10 minute chat post tour. Actually I remember you now. Years ago I did a tour about the history of the financial system in the City, you were my guide, it was from you that I learnt about the Remembrancer. I have ordered your book it is due to arrive on the 5th of October. I will look out for your virtual tours in the future hope to see you then. God bless and keep you during these difficult times – Michael
Dear Richard, Thank you very much for the Jack the Ripper tour this evening Milly and James said it was brilliant!! Milly said she learnt more tonight than she did in her history lessons. Please can you let me know your bank details as I only transferred funds for Milly and not James, which we’d like to do. I think they are going to join you on a Saturday at some point soon. Many thanks again. – Susie.
London Walks Private Tours
If you can’t make the regularly scheduled, Jack The Ripper Whitechapel tour why not think about booking it as a private walk? If you go private you can have this walk– or any other London Walk – on a day and at a time that suits your convenience. We’ll tailor it to your requirements. Ring Fiona or Niamh or Peter on 020 7624 3978 or email us at [email protected] and we’ll set it up and make it happen for you.
Bonnie Kronz –
This was the best tour I have experienced. Richard has all the knowledge, explains the murders, discusses the situations of each murder and supply’s the facts. He allows you to make your opinion of who committed the murders and gives insite into what when why and how these murders were achieved in that time frame. Through his research and reading he gives you the ideas and opinions of others that have written about Jack the Ripper. Richard provided us with ear pieces so that we could easily hear him and walk around the area as he was telling us about what happened. This was great as it was noisy outside. Thank you Richard for making this tour outstanding!
Erin –
Very informative! Thank you for treating the stories of the women with humanity.
Christine Masters –
This way an amazing tour! Richard was very knowledgeable of both facts and all the speculation documented about Jack the Ripper. I doubt you could find anyone more prepared on this subject than Richard. You could tell he genuinely enjoyed sharing that knowledge with everyone. It was fascinating.
I especially liked the sound assist device Richard supplied us. It made it so we could easily hear every detail he gave us. We came across other tours where the guides were having to yell over all the street noise. As well as all the attendees having to get up close and personal with everyone just to hear. I liked that I could hear Richard and could look around while imagining what it looked like back in the 1800s.
This tour is outside with a lot of walking and standing so heed the warning when it says “dress appropriately”. We had some that didn’t and unfortunately left the tour.
Hands down this tour is worth taking while you are in London.
Geoff Clauss –
Come to this walk imagining yourself living in London in the 1880s.
Throughout this walk, Richard explains through his words and pictures what life was like for Londoners living in the neighborhoods of London where the Jack The Ripper (JTR) killings occurred. I must say, this is a difficult task because the London of today is so vastly different. Richard does do an admirable job in describing the scene – where the women were murdered, who discovered their bodies, the suspects and investigations. As you walk from place to place you will pass most likely crowds of young people out and about doing various leisure activities. Things would have been a drastically different in the 1880s. You’d most likely would have seen people going to or leaving work dressed in shabby clothes, beggars and the smells of stench thick in the air.
Richard explains all of these points to you on the tour and I’m sure others that I am forgetting. He is also willling to answer any questions that you may have.
After the tour ended, I continued to think about what we heard and saw as we walked to the tube – another convenience that was not there back then. Later that night I dreamt about JTR. Not the kind of dream that you want to have but I guess that was my confirmation that Richard was successful in conveying enough information to me that allowed for a disturbing night’s sleep.
Miles –
Hi Richard,
Miles here; I’m half of the newlywed couple from Atlanta who participated in your Jack the Ripper walk a few weeks ago. Fantastic job! I’d happily do it again. I really appreciate the context and the empathetic perspective you provided.
Apologies for taking this long to mention this to you (I’d intended to say it at the end of the tour, but forgot). You spoke a bit on the notorious unreliability of eyewitness testimony, and I wanted to share a book with you on that subject. It’s called We Saw Lincoln Shot, by Timothy S. Good. I believe he once worked at Ford’s Theatre. It’s a collection of firsthand accounts of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, given by various attendees and other folks present, and as I recall it’s broken down into three sections by time period: accounts given immediately, accounts given further out, and accounts given much further out. Sometimes even by the same people, years apart. Unsurprisingly they contradict each other, and even contradict themselves, so it’s a great open door into the questioning of assumptions about another infamous event from a similar time period. Anyway, fascinating stuff. Hope you check it out if you feel inclined. Thanks again for the fantastic tour! Will recommend you to others!
Anna Aingworth –
Amazing Intelligent Tour – Highly Recommend!
I recently took a Jack the Ripper tour in London with my teenage daughter, guided by Richard, and it was fantastic. We stayed in Whitechapel for a week, so we decided to give it a try since this is right in the area, and it exceeded all our expectations! Especially for my daughter, as a teen, she is hard to convince.
Richard brought the story to life with a deep dive into the socio-economic conditions of the East End during that era. He did more than just tell us about Jack the Ripper’s sensational crimes (and those were covered fantastically well as well); he painted a very vivid picture of what Whitechapel looked like at the time, how the people lived, and the struggles they faced, all backed up by historical photos.
Richard’s approach was both intelligent and engaging, which made the tour not only informative but also incredibly immersive. His narrative style, subtle British humor and articulate speech made the information very easy to absorb and incredibly enjoyable.
The earphones Richard provided were a great touch, ensuring we could hear everything perfectly. The group size was perfect. Instructions were very well provided about the meeting place and Richard kept in touch prior and after the tour sending some additional information and content.
The tour was a highlight of our London trip, and Richard’s storytelling was a big part of that. I’d definitely go back for another one of his tours, maybe even for this one again! So well done! Very professional and passionate.
I highly recommend it to anyone interested in history delivered in a compelling intelligent way.
Kim Harris –
Richard was such an informative and knowledgeable guide. Not only did he give a fantastic tour, he also recommended several outside sources for those of us who wanted to research further. I will definitely look for more of his tour offerings when I’m in London again!
RG –
Richard’s tour was the highlight of our visit – more than a simple retelling of the murders of that era, Richard brought in the wider context in a way that gave all of us a more complete idea of London and of what it was like to be a person of limited means at that time. The tour seemed to fly by, and we have been talking about some of what we have learned ever since. Highly, highly recommended!
Kefren Mertens –
I’ve taken a lot of Jack the Ripper tours, but none of them were as informative as this one. Richard goes to great lengths to set the scene and gives you much more historical information than any other tours combined. He doesn’t only focus on the murders.
The starting point for him is the historical background of the 1880’s era and he will make you understand what life was like, rather than “they were drunk prostitutes”.
Yes, this tour is more expensive than other, but you get so much more (and better!) information. He’s an amazing story teller and you can tell he genuinely likes what he’s doing and is very knowledgeable in doing so
Bob I –
My friend Jennifer booked the tour for the four of us in our group. It was FANTASTIC! So interesting and many more facts than I had ever heard before. Richard fielded all kinds of questions and provided detailed and informative answers. Highly recommend!