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Jack the Ripper Tour: Focusing on Resilient Victims in London's East End
5.0
29 Ratings
Greater London
Uncover the untold stories of Jack the Ripper’s victims on a walking tour of London’s East End. Explore the district that created a monster and hear from the resilient women who were silenced by history.
Duration:
1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Whitechapel Road - Hear the stories of Martha Tabram and Polly Nichols whilst understanding what life was like for working class residents of the Victorian East End. Learn about the harsh living conditions for the poor including dosshouses, workhouses, spikes and other types of accommodation, all experienced by the women in our story.
We will also show you some of the charities still carrying out work in the area today.
- Brick Lane - We’ll stop at the site of the pub where Polly Nichols was on her final night as we delve deeper into her life and the problem of alcoholism and addiction in the Victorian era.
Stop at the Brick Lane Mosque to understand the story of immigration into the East End and the cultural diversity of the area.
- Spitalfields - We’ll visit the site of the old Truman Brewery, once the largest in the world. Next doors is 29 Hanbury Street, where Annie Chapman was found the morning of September 8. Around the corner at the famous Ten Bells Pub, we’ll hear more about Annie’s life and the heartbreak she suffered.
We’ll also hear about how the movement Reclaim the Night had a hand in forcing the pub to change its name back to the Ten Bells from the Jack the Ripper pub.
- Old Spitalfields Market - A market opened in 1887, the year of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee and the year before the Whitechapel Murders began. Here, we’ll briefly dwell on the great contrasts of the Victorian era.
Then, we’ll head to Crispin Street to see the site of a refuge for working class people that actually worked!
Across the street is the former site of Mary Jane Kelly’s residence, the last victim in the murders and by far the most mysterious.
- Petticoat Lane Market - The former heart of the textile industry in the East End.
- St Botolph’s Aldgate - At the church of St Botolph’s without Aldgate, we’ll introduce you to Elizabeth Stride, originally from Sweden and tell you about her traumatic beginnings in Gothenburg and her later adventures in London.
We will finish close by in Mitre Square, where Catherine Eddowes’ body was discovered and we’ll hear about the exploits of this feisty Wolverhampton lass.
What's Included
- Experienced Guide
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Whitechapel is often associated mainly with Jack the Ripper, one of the most notorious serial culprits in existence. However, the story delves deeper! We invite you for a walking tour in London’s East End, enabling the unheard voices to tell their stories: the victims of the Ripper and forgotten narratives of history. Uncover the world of these resilient women and their surrounding community whilst exploring the neighborhood that birthed an atrocity.
Location
Aldgate
Aldgate High Street
We meet right outside the entrance to Aldgate Station.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(29 Ratings)
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Bettina_m
Jul 5, 2024
Fantastic walking tour in Whitechapel - Rebel Tours offers a unique tour that refrains from sensationalizing the Whitechapel murders, instead highlighting the actual lives of the women who were victims. It would be beneficial for more tours and tourists to move away from the gruesome details and conjecture, focusing on the historical truths. Our guide possessed extensive knowledge of the late 19th century and the locality, vividly portraying the lives of the murdered women. The guide's clarity and engaging delivery made the tour accessible even for non-native English speakers. This tour comes with my heartfelt recommendation.
Review provided by Viator
Jenny_f
Jun 20, 2024
Great tour! - Cecily’s tour was very interesting. We learned all about the victims’ lives. I wasn’t familiar with the legend of Jack the Ripper so this provided a well-rounded picture for me.
Review provided by Viator
Bravotangomike
Jun 5, 2024
Highly recommended tour while in London. - Even after 136 years, the world is still fascinated by the story of a psychopathic killer terrorizing the streets of London. This is not your typical Jack the Ripper tour while visiting London. You will learn a good deal about the women who were sadly murdered during this killing spree. It is also a bit of a history lesson of the time period and a sightseeing trip to the East End. Ellie was a wonderful tour guide!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Briony_h
Jun 5, 2024
A fascinating historical & sociological tour of a vibrant corner of London - My family (me, husband, 2 daughters 15 & 12) booked the tour with my friend, who had already been on traditional Jack the Ripper tours many times hosting friends.
I chose the women-focused tour as I read The Five by Hallie Rubenhold during lockdown and found it far more interesting than re-hashing the murders, all of which, fact&fiction, is available online and infinitum. The Women tour dealt with the murders sensitively and was entirely appropriate for my daughters, who are mature and not innocent of "worldly" topics but don't want the grisly details spelled out.
Cecily, our guide, was great. She spoke exceptionally well - I am very hard of hearing and this is the first tour I've been able to enjoy, normally I just tag along. Taking us to all the sites and explaining life in the area, as well as wider London. Cecily was passionate about the focus being the women, mostly overlooked by the police at the time, history, and the modern tours. Lots of the detail came from Hallie Rubenhold's book, which Cecily acknowledged and thanked the author. My husband and daughters came away keen to read the book next.
I highly recommend the tour - for the official content but also the added extras that we miss when self-navigating- the street art, the "best restaurant" signs, the old interspersed with the new. Following a guide means it is possible to really look around: thank you to Cecily for the opportunity!
Review provided by Viator
Renee_d
May 10, 2024
Fantastic Tour - Ellie was great! She had comprehensive knowledge of the women and of the area. The small group dynamic made it even more intimate and enjoyable. Ellie focused on the women rather than the crime, and we came away with much more interesting information than the glorified image the media has produced.
Review provided by Viator
Sunflower8608
May 5, 2024
Excellent - informative and interesting - Excellent interesting tour with a great guide, Ellie. Very thoughtfully and tastefully delivered, in contrast to the dozens of "Ripper" tours around. Well researched and focussing on the daily lives and actual histories of the women victims, as well as on local life during those times. No gratuitous or theatrical details or glorifying of the anonymous killer. Great level of information about Victorian life in London. Challenges a lot of media misconceptions about the Whitechapel murders and more generally of violence against women even today. Ellie gave great recommendations for other local areas and attractions too. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jgblah
May 2, 2024
Thoughtful, informative, and entertaining without being gruesome - This is a completely fascinating look at a story we've all heard about, but from an entirely different perspective. I'm grateful to have been given a glimpse into the lives of these women who were victimized by both a predator and a century of public opinion and dehumanizing media attention. Our guide had insights and historical info galore to share, and it was fun to wind along the narrow lanes and old streets of Whitechapel and Spitalfields in a small group, rather than the enormous groups we passed along the way. The tour felt personal and just like we were having a fascinating conversation with an intelligent and interesting friend. Will definitely do another Rebel Tour the next time we're here!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stephanie_e
May 1, 2024
Different perspective - It was nice to be given a different perspective about the White Chapel murders that didn’t focus on the murderer and his myth. Knowing the circumstances of society that led to the women being more susceptible to becoming targets of him was informative.
Review provided by Viator
136bennya
Apr 30, 2024
Great and informative tour - Cecily was a great tour guide, very informative while also keeping it very casual. This tour is the best and only Jack the Ripper tour that anyone should consider, really bringing light to the victims instead of glorifying a serial killer.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shonda_l
Apr 7, 2024
Great tour and guide - Cecily was a great tour guide and super friendly. Would definitely recommend this tour that tells the story of the women that were murdered.
Review provided by Viator
