Jack The Ripper

   There is perhaps no better known serial killer in all the world as Jack the Ripper.  Perhaps the case is so famous because it remains unsolved.  No one really knows who Jack the Ripper was or why he killed those girls and perhaps no one ever will.  London, being home to the Jack the Ripper murders, offers a walking tour of London going through the murders and clues.  Donald Rumbelow, the author of The Complete Jack the Ripper often leads the walking tour.

   Having a keen interest in serial killers, I had to take the tour and was lucky enough to get him as my guide.  I also got him to sign a copy of his book for me.  He starts the tour with a little background of London at that time and takes us through the city to each of the murder scenes where the prostitutes were killed, given us detailed descriptions of their mutilated bodies.  He weaves a wicked web as he winds his way through each and every kill, including personal details about the women that were killed as told by the ones who saw them last.  He concludes his fascinating story at the Ten Bells Pub, which was the pub that was frequented by the prostitutes at this time and is now known as the Jack the Ripper pub.

Below is the Ten Bells Pub on the left and a church known as the whore's church, (in those times) on the right.  If they look familiar it could be because replicas of both were used in the movie From Hell.  After listening to Donald's story of Jack the Ripper, the prostitutes and London at the time, it is remarkable how many things in the movie mesh with the real killings.  Of course, the movie is fiction, so not entirely accurate. I would recommend it though, if you can handle gore.

The London Dungeon also has an interesting Jack the Ripper section complete with live actors, model corpses and fire.