Afternoon Jack the Ripper Guided Tour

The Ripper is a fascinating and essential part of London history. The story in depth tells a lot about the vast, horribly impoverished underclass which inhabited London before WWII. Anybody fascinated by The Ripper stories and the grimy vision of horse-drawn, coal-fired London will want to visit this part of the East End. BUT you definitely need a guide like Bettina. The East End was heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe and then afflicted by poorly executed urban renewal thereafter. I'm not sure which catastrophe was worse. I couldn't recognize most of the streets from the Ripper histories: the notorious Dorset Street is completely gone; Flower and Dean Street was rerouted. We didn't get to visit Polly Nichols or Liz Strides' death scenes; they are too far away and unrecognizable. BUT you CAN see the ORIGINAL doorway where Annie Chapman entered and did not emerge alive. We walked down a few narrow streets and alleys which added to the atmosphere. Bettina showed us where the ultra-slummy crime scene for Mary Kelly's murder has been replaced by a plaza surrounded by steel and glass office buildings. The derelicts and prostitutes have been replaced by lawyers and insurance execs; I hate seeing a neighborhood go downhill! The Ten Bells Pub is still there but the clientele has changed. During the murders a Men's and Women's Shelter was nearby, the building is still there! Our guide, Bettina, was mostly patient with my questions and she caught me up on one of her questions, I am not a real Ripperologist. She also engaged me on a few points, on which I was previously dismissive, regarding HER favorite suspect. We'll never catch him -- or her? -- or them? -- but this was a great alternative to just reading a few books. You will also want to revisit Brick Lane just for the incredible restaurant scene, I'm sure that the corner of Brick Lane and Wentworth Street is safe enough now.

Guide was American and difficult to understand, would have been much better to have someone English to make it more authentic. We only stayed for 15 mins and then left, disappointed and a waste of money

Ivan was our guide Couldn’t ask for a better one He was very knowledgeable and knew exactly how to tell the story and keep people interested It was good visiting all the locations and I really enjoyed the day and the weather was so sunny I would definitely do this tour again Everyone who’s interested in Jack the Ripper and crime should do this tour You won’t be disappointed Takes about 2 hours

The tour was a fantastic lesson in the history of the women terrorized by the killer. Not sensationalized, but well told in an entertaining way. Brought the women and their lives to the front of the story.

I recommend Christophe who is an excellent narrator, we were completely immersed during the visit. Thank you Christophe for this wonderful moment!