Come and join me, Ulrike, on my tour through Whitechapel to discover the other side of the Jack the Ripper story. And no, this isn’t just another London Jack the Ripper Tour. Those Whitechapel murders – this Jack the Ripper crime scene, that Jack the Ripper chamber of horrors – that’s the background; this Jack the Ripper Walk shines a different light on what happened in the East End of London in the autumn of 1888.
There are no murders without victims, and before they were victims, “the Five” were women with lives more difficult than we can imagine.
I am going to introduce you to these five women. I’m not going to talk about their deaths. I’m going to talk about their lives. The tragic turns and decisions in their lives that led them to “the prototype of hell” – Whitechapel and Spitalfields in the 1880s.
Jack London called the Victorian East End of London the Abyss, the pit of hell, once you fell in, there was no way out. It was an area of squalor and destitution at an unimaginable level.
Come with me and meet Polly…
And Annie…
And Elizabeth…
And Kate…
And Mary Jane…
See where they existed. The streets and alleyways they knew.
Where things closed in on them. See and imagine what it felt like to be lost, forgotten, out at the edge – on the very margin of the richest society on eath. Where despair was writ in the very fabric of their surroundings. And imagine how brave they must have been trying to keep it at bay. Their lives mirrored those of millions of other Victorian women. Let’s give them a face, a voice and let us not define them only by their deaths.
Jon Burr –
I would make an argument that THIS is the definitive London Walks JTR walk! Spoiler alert – we don’t know who he was, he was a monster, whoever he was, period. What Women of the Abyss will give you is the true feel of Victorian Whitechapel on a human level. Ulrike reveals not the tragedy in the lives of the victims of the infamous murders, but the joys in their lives as well. The struggles of “The Five” are relatable even today, and we owe it to not just their memory but for all those who fell victim to addiction, violence, and exploitation in Victorian London. In 1888 London, a shocking number of people were one bad break away from finding them in the vulnerable place that Polly, Annie, Kate, Elizabeth, and Mary Jane found themselves, and that bad break often landed them in the dark streeets of Whitechapel. Annie had once been relatively middle class, Elizabeth had run a cafe, Mary Jane gave shelter to women who were scared about the murders – the stories of these women are fascinating and dynamic. The London Walks Ripper tour is the only one to take if you’re inclined to hear about the murders, and it does indeed give good context for Women of the Abyss if you know little of the details of the crimes. But if these are the stories you want to hear, please attend this walk – I promise that you will leave with a thoughtful, well-researched perspective on the sad events in East London in 1888. Thank you Ulrike!
Anne Jensen –
An engaging and thought-provoking walking tour! Women of the Abyss offers a refreshing and important perspective by shifting the focus away from Jack the Ripper and instead telling the stories of the women whose lives are so often overshadowed. There were no sensational or graphic details — only respectful, human storytelling that brought their experiences and the realities of Victorian London to life.
The tour was both fascinating and highly informative, giving a deeper understanding of the social history of the time and the circumstances these women lived in. Ulrike was an excellent guide — knowledgeable, insightful, and clearly passionate about sharing these stories with respect.
A meaningful and memorable experience that I highly recommend.
Irene –
This is my second London walk with Ulrike who is an engaging guide. As well as providing a different and original perspective on an already well known story Ulrike also highlights the changing history of the area from the arrival of the Huguenots until today. Her explanation of the social conditions of the time and focus on the womens’ individual stories make this walk both moving and educational. I highly recommend.
Joie Warnock –
This walking tour was a highlight of my visit to London – Ulrike illuminates the lives of the five women, their humanity and dignity in a very powerful way. I highly recommend this tour!
Sophie Darras –
I cannot recommend Ulrike’s Women of the Abyss walking tour highly enough. I loved it because it shifts the narrative away from the Ripper and towards the lives, circumstances and social history of the victims. Ulrike dives deep into the social and economic conditions in Victorian East London, providing a richer understanding than typical Ripper tours. Last but not least, Ulrike tells the women’s stories in a thoughtful, factual, and compassionate way. There’s only one Jack the Ripper related tour you should do and it is this one!
Christoph Karner –
I recently took part in The Women of the Abyss walking tour, and it was one of the most meaningful and thought-provoking experiences I’ve had in London. The excellent guide Ulrike shifts the the focus entirely to the five women whose lives were taken. She brings to life who these women truly were — they had very difficult lifes, but they were no prostitutes.
I warmly recommend to attend this highly interesting and important walk.
Wendy –
Top guide who vividly brought to life the harsh realities for working class women living in the East End of London during the Victorian era, full of fascinating insights and makes you rethink the status of these women before their tragic deaths.
Jo –
Great tour, well researched, thoroughly enjoyed seeing a part of London not normally on the tourist map.
Elizabeth –
Ulrike is an outstanding guide and this was a superbly presented and incredibly interesting tour, about the tough, tragic and often heart-wrending back stories of the five women, murdered by “Jack the Ripper”.
Ulrike’s meticulous research and ability to convey a huge amount of detailed information in a compelling way, makes this a tour that I highly recommend.
Looking at the period buildings, walking down alleyways, seeing the very pub where the last victim drank, before being brutally murdered, and hearing about their lifestyles, all helped us understand just how incredibly vulnerable and totally disadvantaged these five women were. They didn’t stand a chance.
Thank you so much Ulrike for treating these women with respect and humanity and shining the light on the victims, for a very welcome change.
Ann McVey –
A(nother!) great walk with Ulrike!
Fascinating insight into the lives of 5 unfortunate women … not just ‘victims’ of ‘the Ripper’ but of the social circumstances of the times.
Thoroughly recommend!