Jack the Ripper’s Whitechapel Tour (Small group tour)
Whitechapel Underground Station (Whitechapel Road exit)
Guided by Richard Walker
Walk Times
| Day | Walk Type | Start Time | End Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday | Weekly | 7 pm | 9.15 pm | Winter Summer | Book Now |
| Thursday | Weekly | 7 pm | 9.15 pm | Winter Summer | Book Now |
Here, below, is 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.
Meeting point: The starting point of this walk is Whitechapel Tube Station and the tour ends near Liverpool Street station.
Price: £25 per person
Maximum of 12 per tour so you must buy your ticket online. To ensure group size only ticket holders can join this tour.
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 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. This is the only London tour to visit 4 of the 5 crime scenes.
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. Goulston Street and the doorway where the cryptic message was chalked – “The Juwes are the men that will not be blamed for nothing”.
And this guided tour will end at Mitre Square where Catherine Eddowes was put to death. Murdered less than an hour after Liz Stride had her throat cut in Dutfield’s Yard, Berner Street. Two women who go down in history as ’the double event’. Just two of a teaming multitude that deserved a better life and a better end.
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 I have decided to restrict numbers to just 10 on this special walk. Please 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.
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.
Rachel –
We thoroughly enjoyed the tour, visiting the various sites whilst listening to relevant stories along the way. Richard presented many facts and theories without bias, leaving individuals to form their own opinions. Following the tour, he sent through links for listening and reading for those who wish to delve further into the mystery.
Allan –
Allan – 30th June 2023
Amazing walk! Richard brought to life those who departed from Jack’s hands. Richard described in great detail the circumstances of the murders and the squalid and wretched conditions of the Whitechapel area which bred the sordid women who fell victim to Jack.
Richard was quite the raconteur who injected both wit and wisdom in his storytelling. I had ample opportunity to ask questions as the walk was limited to a maximum of 12. This contributed to a greater intimacy and congeniality among those who went on this walk. Bravo Richard!!
Sheri Sparling –
Richard is a master storyteller who always weaves his story with great precision and care. He careful crafts his ideas in a way that makes it easy to picture and understand what he Maga. His use of visual aids was particularly exciting and made the stories come alive. You can’t get a better guide!
Renee B –
Highly recommend Richard’s small group tour!! Richard is a master storyteller while he weaves together the timeline of the murders, the personal lives of the victims, and the reality of life in 1888 Whitechapel. We were riveted! He is incredibly knowledgeable and his passion comes across and is infectious. My two teenagers also loved it!
James Carli –
Our family was in London for a week in June 2023 and we knew the regular Jack the Ripper tours are overcrowded, so we reserved our spot on this walking tour know that the group would be small and the story more intimate. Richard did not disappoint and our family would all HIGHLY RECOMMEND this dynamic experience. It was 2 to 2-1/2 hours and thrilling & suspenseful. I loved that we started in Whitechapel instead of Tower Hill like everyone else does. Richard’s tour is a winner!
Mary Nelson –
This was an excellent tour. Richard is not only knowledgable, but passionate about the information. Plus he has more information available he will email you after the tour if you want to read or learn more about Jack the Ripper. I highly highly recommend this tour if you’re in London. It was fantastic.
Marie Olsson –
I really enjoyed this tour! Richard’s knowledge and insights made the walk so interesting. He not only told us about the murders but also about the area , the people from that time. Very interesting! For me it also made a difference that it was a small tour, made it more enjoyable! Richard really got me interested in this piece of history and I will now read about this more. Thank you Richard😊
Siobhan –
I did this tour in 2001 and 2003 with Donald Rumbelow, and Richard has reworked the tour with new insight and new ideas, such that perhaps the student has exceeded the master. I look foreword to his book.
Bree Demchik –
Great walk!
Loved our Jack the Ripper walk (small group) with Richard! Interesting to hear the
different viewpoints and theories surrounding the infamous killer. Richard is clearly
passionate about the topic. Would recommend!
Rick –
Thoroughly enjoyed the tour with Richard. His insight into the life and times of the “Ripper Era” gives you such a feel for how life was back in 1888 London. I love his enthusiasm for the subject and the fact he is willing to form his own opinions and allow the individual to do the same. The one thing I took away from this tour is that even 140 years later Jack is just as elusive as ever.