Come and join me, Ulrike, on my tour through Whitechapel to discover the other side of the Jack the Ripper story. And no, this isn’t just another London Jack the Ripper Tour. Those Whitechapel murders – this Jack the Ripper crime scene, that Jack the Ripper chamber of horrors – that’s the background; this Jack the Ripper Walk shines a different light on what happened in the East End of London in the autumn of 1888.
There are no murders without victims, and before they were victims, “the Five” were women with lives more difficult than we can imagine.
I am going to introduce you to these five women. I’m not going to talk about their deaths. I’m going to talk about their lives. The tragic turns and decisions in their lives that led them to “the prototype of hell” – Whitechapel and Spitalfields in the 1880s.
Jack London called the Victorian East End of London the Abyss, the pit of hell, once you fell in, there was no way out. It was an area of squalor and destitution at an unimaginable level.
Come with me and meet Polly…
And Annie…
And Elizabeth…
And Kate…
And Mary Jane…
See where they existed. The streets and alleyways they knew.
Where things closed in on them. See and imagine what it felt like to be lost, forgotten, out at the edge – on the very margin of the richest society on eath. Where despair was writ in the very fabric of their surroundings. And imagine how brave they must have been trying to keep it at bay. Their lives mirrored those of millions of other Victorian women. Let’s give them a face, a voice and let us not define them only by their deaths.
Giorgia La Vecchia –
I had the pleasure of going on Ulrike’s inaugural ‘Women of the Abyss’ tour today and was deeply moved and impressed (as always) by the depth of Ulrike’s research and attention to detail.
The delicacy and respect shown to the lives of the women before they became victims immediately sets the experience apart from the many sensationalised and troublingly voyeuristic tours available. When coupled with Ulrike’s trademark vivid descriptions of the general atmosphere of Whitechapel and the East End by and large, it makes the lives of these women as well as the circumstances they found themselves in all the more real and worthy of attention.
As with Ulrike’s other tours this will most definitely stay with me for a long time. A truly unforgettable experience in unravelling what Ulrike will make you understand is a far more complex tale than the one we all think we know.
Linda and Carl –
We really enjoyed the walk and the narrative given by the guide, Ulrike.
Monica Benson –
What a perfect way of spending a beautiful spring morning! Strolling through the streets of London in the company of an incredibly warm And engaging person, who is able to bring the past to life. Ulrike is knowledgeable and entertaining, and what’s more, she really interacts with her group. We were soon all on good terms and were able to ask questions and make comments. I would always recommend any walk she leads.
Monica Benson –
What a perfect way of spending a beautiful spring morning! Strolling through the streets of London in the company of an incredibly warm and engaging person, who is able to bring past to life. Ulrike is knowledgeable and entertaining, and what’s more, she interacts with her group. We were soon all on really good terms and were able to ask questions and make comments. I would always recommend any walk she leads.
Monica Benson
João Borges da Cunha –
Ulrike is the perfect narrator. Ulrike is the most compelling storyteller. She is something further than a guide. She is much more than someone you will meet for a bunch of information and small talk. She is a very articulated lecturer who will not only fulfill your curiosity about the past and the dead, but will make you travel back in space and time, into a world you will never forget. In such an extent that you might never come back. I went with her to the precious walk “ Women of the Abyss – the Victims of Jack the Ripper” and I tell you, everything changed in my mind about the Ripper case. Above all, about his overlooked victims. And I’ve learned so much from Ulrike. Do you now why do you say a “hungover” after a night of taking something much more exquisite than twenty glasses of water? Do you know what a “jolly disposition” is? Come along with accurate Ulrike in her walks, a lifelong memory. Y.M. the King, here is a Dame. Let’s do it.
Vicky Cole –
Excellent walk and guide Ulrike. A different insight to the usual Jack the Ripper narrative, with great detail about the varied and interesting lives of the women and how they came to be living in Whitechapel. Focusing on their lives and not the manner of their deaths. A must for anyone interested in the social history of the Victorian East End and in particular the women who endured its grim conditions. All very well told and interestingly presented by Ulrike.
Jo Lloyd –
What a brilliant walk. Ulrike is a great guide and told a compelling and moving story about the victims of Jack the Ripper with great humanity and warmth. If you want to ‘do a Ripper walk’, do this one. It very rightly changes the narrative.
shachar –
very interesting tour. a new look at the ripper story/ ulrike was a great guide and we enjoyed it very much
Viv Pyner –
What a super walk, even in the near freezing conditions we experienced today. Ulrike is an expert guide and we all learnt many facts about the unfortunate women who were murdered by Jack the Ripper. It is a very welcome addition to the catalogue of walks offered by London Walks, and it was great to meet Ulrike again who remembered me from her Seven Deadly Sins. I can heartily recommend this walk, well worth going on, even if it is freezing.
Mike S. –
This was an absolutely outstanding experience! On a rainy Sunday morning, only two of us turned up for this walk, which meant that we had Ulrike’s undivided attention. We learned so much about the ways in which the victims of Jack the Ripper were misrepresented in the press. It was fascinating to hear their life histories – Ulrike is a great story teller and the two hours seemed to go by in a flash. We’ve been on several of the London Walks and have thoroughly enjoyed all of them. A tip – for £5, you can buy a six month ticket which gives you £5 off every subsequent walk that you do.
Rosy Danby –
Very interesting. An insight into the horrors of life for the poorest women in the east end of London in the 1880’s. Not a barrel of fun but thought provoking. Thank you Ulrike.