Jack the Ripper's London

London, England

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Retrace the steps of Jack the Ripper's gruesome trail of murder in London as we take you to the scenes of the crimes and other key locations. The autumn of 1888 proved to be an unforgettable period in the history of London's Whitechapel district. This was the time when the terrible spectre of Jack the Ripper raised his infamous head and stalked the dark streets and damp alleyways of this impoverish borough of London. During what became known as the Whitechapel Murders, the murky, misty cobbled maze of passageways saw eleven women lose their lives. Of the eleven murders committed in Whitechapel that year, the atrocious murders of five women linked to Jack the Ripper were the most horrifying and gruesome. 19th century London was at the centre of the world. It was the capital of the British Empire, the largest city at the time, and as today, it was a meeting place for a wide multicultural, melting pot of people. The streets around Whitechapel and Spitelfields were home to some of the most destitute people in the capital, who came from all over the world to scratch out a living in the docks, markets and stalls around the area. The main roads were lit with naphtha gaslights that cast a yellow haze through the bleak misty air, in many places the cobbles were damaged and large inky black pools would gather and everywhere there was the heavy stench from the open sewers that criss crossed the city. It was amongst this chaos that many of the poorest women earned a little extra money through prostituting themselves on these inhospitable streets. A desperate measure, as it was dangerous, dirty, and did not pay well. Disease was rife, beatings common and murder always a possibility. The money made could be as low as three pence a time and occasionally, such as when times were hard, even a piece of stale bread would be accepted. Three pence however, was the going rate, as this was the price for temporary relief, in the form of the cost for a large gin. So it was in the dark corridors, disgusting tight passageways and sodden wet courtyards that the women of Whitechapel plied their trade. It was so common, that everyone turned a blind eye to the cavorting couples in the deep shadows. The Jack the Ripper murders, apart from their sheer brutality and fact that the perpetrator was never caught, have lived long in the memory for many reasons. This was the world's first truly international serial killing made for newspapers. Literacy, printing and the tabloids were rapidly growing and the case was reported in all its horror. An insatiable desire for gory details meant reporters uncovered everything possible, and in come cases contrived or invented information. Suspects ranged from princes and famous authors, to respected doctors and international criminals. No one was safe in having the finger of suspicion pointed at them. The first body, that of Mary Nichols, was one of the first murder victims to be photographed in the world and the first use of criminal profiling by medical doctor Thomas Bond. All this has led to a cult fascination with the 1888 Whitechapel Murders, a true Victorian Murder Mystery.