Jack the Ripper Guided Walking Tour of Whitechapel London

Whitechapel and Altab Ali Park

Whitechapel takes its name from the medieval white chapel of St Mary that stood where Altab Ali Park is today; the church was destroyed by bombing in 1940 and only its outline and a memorial remain. In 1888 this was one of the most overcrowded and poorest districts of London, with lodging houses, workshops and narrow courts where thousands lived from day to day.

Your Jack the Ripper tour in Whitechapel begins at the iron arch gate of the park, a few steps from Aldgate East station. Here your guide sets the scene: who lived in the East End, how policing worked in the 1880s and why the murders caused such panic. It is the ideal introduction before you walk into the lanes where the story unfolded.

Christ Church Spitalfields and Old Spitalfields Market

Christ Church Spitalfields, built between 1714 and 1729, is one of the great baroque churches of London, its white stone spire towering over Commercial Street. Opposite stands Old Spitalfields Market, which received its market charter in 1638; its Victorian market hall was completed in 1887, the year before the murders, and today holds stalls of crafts, vintage goods and street food.

In 1888 the church and the market were the landmarks that every person in Spitalfields knew, and several of the women in the case lived in lodging houses just around them. Your guide uses this corner to explain the timeline of that autumn. If you want to know when to visit Spitalfields Market for shopping, weekdays and Sundays are the liveliest days.

Mitre Square

Mitre Square is a small square just inside the boundary of the City of London, now surrounded by modern offices but still following its old shape. In the early hours of 30 September 1888 it was the scene of one of the murders, on the same night as another in Whitechapel, and because it lay in the City a second police force joined the investigation.

Here the guide explains the evidence found that night, the role of the two police forces and the clues that are still debated today. The story is told factually, without gore, and with the focus on the investigation and on the woman whose life ended here. It is one of the most important stops for anyone who wants to understand the case.

Brick Lane

Brick Lane is the beating heart of the East End and a living record of the waves of people who settled here: Huguenot silk weavers in the 1700s, Jewish families from Eastern Europe in the late 1800s and the Bangladeshi community from the twentieth century. One building on the corner of Fournier Street tells the whole story, having served as a Protestant chapel, a synagogue and today a mosque.

On the tour you see how Brick Lane looked in Victorian times and how it has changed, with its curry houses, bagel bakeries, street art and weekend markets. Many visitors ask what to do on Brick Lane after a tour: it is a great place to eat, browse vintage shops and explore the murals.

Petticoat Lane and the finish in Spitalfields

Petticoat Lane is the old name of Middlesex Street, where a clothing market has been held since the 1700s; the street was renamed in the 1830s, but the market and its nickname survived. In 1888 its Sunday market drew huge crowds, and the streets around it were where many of the people in the story worked and shopped.

The walk ends on Commercial Street in the centre of Spitalfields, opposite Christ Church, where your guide sums up the main suspects and theories and invites you to make your own judgement. After the tour your online case file unlocks completely, with the women's real stories, ten suspects, a map, a timeline and puzzles to solve.