Jack the Ripper walking tour … no ghosts, but lots of Indian restaurants
March 26th, 2009 by Price
So I am in London, one of the most evil cities in the world, and am quite ashamed at the lack of evil things I have been doing here. Sure, partying my face off is pretty sinful, but that’s the norm. I need to turn it up a notch.
If you didn’t know, Jack the Ripper did his living and killing in London. And it was well documented. So there are plenty of self-guided walks available to retrace his steps and try to spook yourself out.
First off, it’s kind of hard to spook yourself out when most of the original structures and landscaping has completely changed since 1888. Most of the murders took place in alleyways, dark corners that are now open areas, or have newer apartment buildings built on top of where the existed. Still, if you let you the mind wander enough, you can get the chills.
The tour started by taking you to Saint Botolph’s church, or as it was more endearingly referred to in those days, Prostitutes’ Church.
You can figure out why it was named that.
Apparently Jack’s victims could be seen peddling their wares here on a regular basis, so he himself probably spent some time strolling by, eyeballing a new project.
Next was on to the site where one of the Ripper’s victims, Catherine Eddowes was found, right that not-so-evil flower bed lies today:
Notice the guided tour group. Those idiots paid someone. Stupid.
The White Hart pub was also a stop:
In the basement of this pub lived a man who was suspected of being Jack the Ripper. They don’t think it was actually him, but he DID kill his two wives. So he was pretty evil in his own right.
Otherwise, nothing too much worth noting. There was a pub that was highlighted as being the last place Mary Kelly was seen alive (although it’s now an Indian joint), and another pug where the streetwalkers hung out.
The general area of Whitechapel though has some very dodgy spots, so doing the walk at night was creepy enough.
Worth noting is that Jack’s old haunt has now turned into London Hipster Haven + Indian hotspot, which all resides on Brick Lane. You have to cross the street several times and dodge Red Strip-toting tight jeans wearing douches and guys telling you they have the best Indian in London, can give you the best deal in London, generally being vultures. It creates an interesting experience no matter what.
Tags: brick lane, jack the ripper, murder was the case that they gave me