Visit the Jack the Ripper Museum London
Fancy something different? Why not visit the Jack the Ripper Museum London. The Gruesome London murders by the unknown Jack the Ripper holds a fascination with many and shocked the world. The Ripper museum London is the first place to go to find out all about it! The Jack the ripper museum is situated in Cable Street London not far from the Tower of london, and not far from where the murders took place. Its a great little find and not for the faint hearted and it is in the heart of where the murders took place.
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We jumped off at Towel Hill tube Station and took a short walk past St Katherines Docks to the Museum, We didn’t book but this may be advisable on weekends.
Everything you need to know about the Jack the Ripper Museum London, A review of the Jack the Ripper Museum London
The history of Jack the Ripper
In 1888 policeman dared to not to patrol the area of Whitechapel at night. Gangs would rule the streets and during the day streets would have residents living in doorways. It was a poorer area of London and the streets were filthy. This was the area that Jack the Ripper chose to prey on woman and murder them in the most brutal way. Jack the Ripper killed at least five women in or near the Whitechapel district of London’s East End. His killing spree spanned four months between August and November of 1888. The case has forever since been one of the most infamous unsolved mysteries in British crime.
Visiting the Jack the Ripper museum in London, What’s inside the Jack the Ripper Museum Whitechapel?
The Jack the Ripper Museum is housed in a historic Victorian house in the heart of Whitechapel and tells the full story of the Jack the Ripper murders. When visiting you will step back in time to the London of 1888. Walking around the museum is like being there many years ago, with sounds smells and sights of the old Victorian London. As you make your way up the stairs, you’ll see details of each of the six murders recorded on the walls. The victims’ names, ages and murder locations are shown, along with newspaper reports, and illustrations of the crimes. If you are an aspiring Ripperologist, an anthropologist or a historian you will most definitely visitor find something in this museum to interest you. In fact anyone who has a fascination in the history or Jack Ripper would be intrigued.
Visit the Jack the Ripper Shop
The Museum shop is well stocked with all paraphernalia related to the ripper cases from books to newspaper clippings and trinkets to remember your visit. You get a museum guide for your visit telling you about each room you visit as well.
The rooms of the Jack the Ripper Museum
The Whitechapel museum is set out in six rooms of the town house. Each room displays an aspect of the murders and the investigation from the 1880’s. You will also get an insight to the working and living conditions of Victorian London. You will see various artefacts, items and and photos that you have never seen before. The museum is set out in six rooms each displaying an aspect of the murders and the investigation. The museum tells us the history of woman in the east end of London and shows us what it would of been like to actually live at that time. Each room is based on a murder!
The first room is Mitre Square where the murder of Catherine Eddowes took place on the 30th of September 1888. You see wax work figures of the victim and Police constable Watkins who discovered her body. The room is filled with smells an sounds from Victorian London. It very eery and you can hear the hustle and bustle and it smells odd and old.
The sitting room floor two in the Ripper museum.
On the Second floor you will find a sitting room much like what Jack the Ripper Or Victorian’s would of had in the day. This room creeped me out the most! it was full of artefacts , news paper clippings and items of clothes to try on. It almost feel like you have intruded and you are looking in. You are welcome to try on a cloak and hat from Jack the Ripper history if you dare!
Find gruesome and unusual artefacts as you go around
On the table, you will find medical instruments, poison and drug bottles. At the desk are medical books on surgery, pens and quills and notes from the ripper. A doctor’s bag, which contains knives similar to those used to kill and mutilate the Ripper’s victims is on the floor by the desk. An old gramophone sits in the corner next to the fire place. Who was Jack the Ripper?
The bottles and blood spilt all around the room were very realistic, We spent ages in the room and all tried a jack the ripper top hat and cloak.
On the third floor you visit the Police Station.
The third floor of the Ripper museum shows us what the police were trying to unwind in the investigation. A crime board shows the sites of the murders and the evidence the police collected. In the display case is the actual whistle Police Constable Watkins blew to call for help when he found Catherine Eddowes body in Mitre Square.
Explore the victims bedrooms
On the top floor of the museum you visit the victims bedrooms or at least what it may of looked like. There are notes about all of the women all around the walls and information on what life may have been like for these women at the time. Would they rather use their money from the streets to buy Gin or a nights stay in a dorm room? Life was hard and sometimes a glass of gin and a night working on the streets was better than paying for a room.
Poignant stories of the victims.
I found the stories of the victims particularly poignant, these were normall women trying to survive in very hard times. You can read stories of the woman on the walls, the woman that Ripper killed were unlucky in their lives as well as their deaths. Many of the woman had children Annie Chapman had three children.
Visit the Ripper Mortuary
The most disturbing room of the Ripper Museum is the basement room, the Mortuary. On the walls of the mortuary are pictures of the women who were killed and details on how they were killed. You may find the images in the mortuary disturbing.
Who were the victims of Jack the Ripper?
The victims of Jack the Ripper were all poor woman and mostly working girls in one of the poorest areas or Victorian London. The victims of Jack the Ripper in order they were killed were;
- Mary Ann Nichols whose body was found on August 31 1888
- Annie Chapman who was found September 8th 1888
- Elizabeth Stride discovered on September 30th 1888)
- Catherine Eddowes ( kate ) who was also found on September 30th 1888
- Mary Jane Kelly who was found on November the 9th 1888
On the far wall of the mortuary is a Victorian stained glass window. Many of the women had no relatives and there bodies were buried in mass paupers graves.
Who was Jack the Ripper?
So many people are still interested in the Jack the ripper case. Who was Jack the ripper? I still think the idea is that is was Francis Tumblety an old american Quack is the most relevant suspect. There is also information on the wall in the ripper room about him, and you can find out more here on this website Casebook. I guess we will never know.
Ones things for certain we will never know and I think that is why the case still gets so much interest.
So Visit the Jack the Ripper Museum London this Halloween. I was surprised how much this little quaint Museum has to offer and how much I learnt about the plight of the unfortunate victims.
Everything you need to know about visiting Jack the Ripper Museum
It cost £12 on the door but is cheaper online in advance, there is also a walking tour that goes every day from the museum which you can add to your ticket. You can also book tickets to the museum online.
Address;
12 Cable Street, London, England E1 8JG.
Opening houses for Jack the Ripper museum
Jack the Ripper is open daily from 10am until 5.30pm.
Cost for the Ripper Museum, Jack the ripper museum ticket price online
It is £10 for the museum and £16 if you wish to do the walking tour guide as well. It is also £8 for children and £12.80 for children.
The walking Jack the Ripper walking tour is at 3pm from Tower hill and it is recommended you visit the museum beforehand.
More London Days out here!
- Where to eat near Theatre Royal Drury Lane
- Soho London Days out guide
- Restaurants near the Lyceum Theatre London
If you fancy something a little less gruesome you can visit the house of Charles Dickens Here
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