On Thursday 6 October, a group of Paviors assembled at the Blind Beggar pub in Whitechapel, before setting out into the cold autumn night to walk in the footsteps of Jack the Ripper with expert guide Mark Smith (from the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow).
The group soon found itself spirited back in time to the dark autumn nights of 1888 when Jack the Ripper prowled these same thoroughfares. The walk started at the epicentre of the district in which the infamous crimes took place, stepping straight into the old, atmospheric and dimly-lit thoroughfares and cobbled alleyways that have changed little – if at all – since that long-ago era of gaslight and terror. The walk followed the labyrinth-like layout of the streets and passageways of Whitechapel that enabled Jack to commit his ghastly crimes whilst, at the same time, affording him the perfect escape routes where he could simply melt away into the night both unseen and undetected.
Following the two-and-a-half mile tour, the group took the short walk back to Brick Lane and enjoyed an excellent curry supper at the Muhib Indian Restaurant.
This most enjoyable event was organized by Peter Lambert of the Paviors’ Liverymen’s Committee.