There are few places in the world where history feels as close as it does on the back streets of Whitechapel after dark. The cobblestones, the narrow alleyways, and the amber glow of old streetlamps all conspire to pull you back to 1888 — the year London was gripped by fear, and the East End became the hunting ground of history’s most infamous unidentified killer.
But the story of Jack the Ripper isn’t just one of dark alleyways and police reports. Much of it played out in the warmth and noise of the local pub. In Victorian Whitechapel, the pub was the social heartbeat of working-class life. It was where people gathered after long shifts in the markets, where lodging house residents spent their evenings, and where women like Annie Chapman and Mary Kelly spent the final hours of their lives. Whitechapel alone had around 45 pubs in 1888 — one on virtually every corner — and a handful of them are still standing today, carrying those stories within their walls.
If you’re visiting London and want a truly atmospheric window into Victorian history, here are the pubs you need to know about.
The Ten Bells, The Most Famous Ripper Pub
84 Commercial Street, Spitalfields, E1 6LY
If there’s one pub that defines the Jack the Ripper story, it’s the Ten Bells. Standing on the corner of Commercial Street and Fournier Street, directly opposite the magnificent Christ Church Spitalfields, it has been serving East End Londoners since at least the mid-18th century — and it hasn’t lost an ounce of its Victorian character.
The pub’s name has shifted over the years, always tied to the number of bells in the church peal next door. In the 18th century it was called the Eight Bells; by 1794, records show it had become the Ten Bells, after the church added more chimes. That name has stuck ever since — barring a controversial interlude from 1976 when it was briefly renamed “The Jack the Ripper” to capitalise on its history, before public pressure, led by the Reclaim the Night campaign, restored the original name in 1988.
Two of the Ripper’s victims are closely connected to this pub. Annie Chapman was allegedly seen drinking here in the early hours of 8 September 1888 — the morning she was murdered in nearby Hanbury Street. A potman at the pub later claimed a strange man in a skullcap had appeared at the door and beckoned her out. Whether or not that account is accurate, Annie was dead within hours.
Mary Jane Kelly, the Ripper’s final and most brutally murdered victim, was a regular here too. On the night of 8 November 1888, she was seen leaving the Ten Bells before returning to her room in Miller’s Court, just across the street, where her body was discovered the following morning.
Today, the Ten Bells is a Grade II listed building with a beautifully preserved Victorian interior. The original woodwork, ornate bar, and a spectacular late-19th-century painted tile mural depicting Spitalfields in ye Olden Time all survive intact. It’s atmospheric, historic, and genuinely lovely, well worth a visit whether you’re a Ripper enthusiast or simply a fan of a well-preserved Victorian pub.
The White Hart, Ripper Corner
89 Whitechapel High Street, E1 7RA
The White Hart is a pub with serious Ripper credentials, though they come from a slightly different angle. Its basement barber shop was once the workplace of Severin Klosowski, a Polish immigrant who later went by the name George Chapman — one of the most seriously considered suspects in the Ripper case.
The pub also sits uncomfortably close to the site of the very first possible Ripper killing. On 7 August 1888, Martha Tabram was stabbed 39 times in a stairwell on nearby George Yard — just 50 feet from the back of the White Hart. She was reportedly drinking here earlier that evening.
The White Hart has barely changed in over a century. There were some minor alterations in 1938 and 1969, and a brief renaming as Clutterbuck’s in the 1990s, but the pub’s bones are essentially Victorian. It’s long been a gathering point for Ripper researchers and enthusiasts, the famous corner table near the back has become known simply as “Ripper Corner”, where regulars swap theories, swap anecdotes, and argue over the identity of the Ripper over a pint. If you’re visiting with a genuine interest in the case, this is the pub where you’re most likely to end up in conversation with a fellow obsessive.
The Alma, Spelman Street
41 Spelman Street, E1 5LQ
A little off the main tourist trail, the Alma on Spelman Street is worth seeking out. Its upper floor has been decorated with an impressive collection of Ripperana — original posters, artwork, and reproductions of Victorian newspaper reports covering the murders. It’s a more intimate, neighbourhood pub feel compared to the Ten Bells, but that’s part of its charm. It offers a quieter space to absorb the history away from the busier streets.
The Britannia, A Pub Lost to Time
The original Britannia pub once stood on the corner of Dorset Street — directly opposite the Ten Bells and at the heart of what was then one of London’s most notorious slum streets. Annie Chapman was known to drink here, and it was in this pub that she became embroiled in an argument with a woman named Eliza Cooper over a bar of soap, leading to a physical fight. The bruising from that brawl was still visible on Annie’s body at her autopsy, just days later.
The Britannia no longer exists, the building was demolished long ago, but the site is just steps from the Ten Bells, and a walk through what is now Duval Street (formerly Dorset Street) still carries a certain weight.
The Kings Stores, A Curious Footnote
Corner of Widegate Street and Sandy’s Row, E1
The Kings Stores has a large sign above the door declaring “Jack the Ripper Last Seen Here 1888.” There’s just one problem: the pub doesn’t appear in any serious Ripper literature, and there’s no historical basis for the claim. It’s a great example of how the Ripper legend has been enthusiastically embraced by the local hospitality trade, sometimes more for atmosphere than accuracy.
That said, it’s an interesting stop, and the pub itself has a decent amount of Victorian character. Just take the signage with a generous pinch of salt.
Tips for Visiting
The best time to explore Whitechapel’s Ripper pubs is in the evening, ideally in autumn or winter when the streets take on a darker, more atmospheric quality. Most of the key locations are within easy walking distance of each other, clustered around Commercial Street, Whitechapel High Street, and Brick Lane.
Several well-regarded Jack the Ripper walking tours incorporate pub stops into their routes, combining the atmospheric storytelling of a guided tour with the pleasure of a Victorian East End pub crawl. These typically run in the evenings and last around two hours, finishing near Mitre Square, the site of one of the Ripper’s most notorious murders.
A few practical notes: the Ten Bells can get busy on weekends, so weekday evenings are better if you want to soak up the atmosphere at your own pace. The White Hart is smaller and more local in character, great for a longer, quieter stay.
Whitechapel has changed enormously since 1888. The old slums are long gone, replaced by a lively, diverse neighbourhood full of Bangladeshi restaurants, vintage shops, and street art. But stand outside the Ten Bells on a cold November evening, look up at the spire of Christ Church, and it’s not hard to imagine the world Mary Kelly walked through on the last night of her life.
The pubs of Whitechapel aren’t just tourist attractions — they’re some of the last surviving physical links to one of history’s most enduring mysteries. Raise a glass, listen to the stories, and see what you think.
