Standing on the corner of Commercial Street and Fournier Street in Spitalfields, the Ten Bells pub has poured pints for over 270 years. But it’s not the Victorian tiles or the craft beer selection that draws visitors from around the world. It’s the pub’s chilling connection to Jack the Ripper and at least two of his victims during the Autumn of Terror in 1888.
If you’re planning a Jack the Ripper tour in London, understanding the significance of this Grade II listed building adds a haunting layer to your experience.
A Brief History of the Ten Bells
The Ten Bells predates the Ripper by more than a century. Records show a pub on this spot since at least 1752, though it was originally called the Eight Bells after the chimes in the neighbouring Christ Church, Spitalfields — the striking Nicholas Hawksmoor-designed church that still looms over the pub today.
When the church installed a new set of ten bells in 1788, the pub followed suit with its name. The original building was demolished in 1851 when Commercial Street was cut through the area, and the pub was rebuilt just a few metres from its original location. This is the building you can visit today.
What makes the Ten Bells architecturally significant is its remarkably preserved Victorian interior. Floor-to-ceiling ceramic tiles in striking blue and white patterns cover two walls, and a magnificent painted tile mural titled Spitalfields in ye Olden Time – Visiting a Weaver’s Shop dominates the north wall. Created by W.B. Simpson & Sons in the late 19th century, it depicts the area’s Huguenot silk-weaving heritage.
The Jack the Ripper Connection
The Ten Bells’ dark claim to fame lies in its links to the Whitechapel murders of 1888. At least two of the five canonical victims had documented connections to this pub.
Mary Jane Kelly
The most significant connection is to Mary Jane Kelly, the Ripper’s fifth and final canonical victim. Kelly, a 25-year-old described as having “a fair complexion, light hair and rather attractive features,” used the pavement directly outside the Ten Bells as her regular pitch to attract clients.
According to witness Elizabeth Foster, she was drinking with Mary Kelly inside the Ten Bells on the evening of 8th November 1888. Kelly left the pub that night and was murdered in the early hours of 9th November. Her horrifically mutilated body was discovered that morning in her single room at 13 Miller’s Court, Dorset Street — directly across the road from where the Ten Bells stands.
A retired market porter named Dennis Barrett, interviewed years later by author Tom Cullen, remembered Kelly from his childhood: “She had her pitch outside the Ten Bells Pub in Commercial Street, and woe to any woman who tried to poach her territory. Such a woman was likely to have her hair pulled out in fistfuls.”
When you stand outside the entrance to the Ten Bells today, you are quite literally standing in Mary Kelly’s footsteps.
Annie Chapman
The second canonical victim linked to the Ten Bells is Annie Chapman. Contemporary newspaper reports stated she was seen drinking alone in “a pub near Spitalfields Market” at around 5am on the morning of 8th September 1888, just hours before her body was discovered in the backyard of 29 Hanbury Street.
Given the Ten Bells sits directly across from Spitalfields Market and was the most prominent pub in the immediate area, historians believe this was almost certainly where Chapman had her final drink. The murder site on Hanbury Street is just a short walk from the pub’s front door.
Did the Ripper Himself Drink Here?
Some Ripperologists have speculated that Jack the Ripper himself may have visited the Ten Bells. The pub sits just a short walk from Flower & Dean Street — now demolished, but in 1888 it was a notorious slum that modern analytical techniques have suggested as the most likely base of operations for the killer.
Whether the Ripper came here to warm himself against the cold during his nocturnal wanderings, or to identify his victims, remains one of the many unanswered questions of the case.
When the Pub Was Called “Jack the Ripper”
In 1976, a landlord hoping to capitalise on the pub’s macabre history renamed it “The Jack the Ripper.” The interior was redecorated with display cases containing memorabilia and information about the Whitechapel murders, and the venue leaned heavily into its dark tourism appeal.
The name change proved controversial. A sustained campaign by the Reclaim the Night movement argued that naming a pub after a murderer of women was inappropriate and glorified violence against women. The campaign succeeded, and in 1988 — exactly 100 years after the murders — the brewery restored the original Ten Bells name.
When the Ripper-themed décor and disco lighting were stripped away during the 1980s, the pub’s stunning Victorian interior emerged intact underneath, having been preserved by the garish overlay.
The Ten Bells in Popular Culture
The pub’s Ripper connections have made it a fixture in books, films, and television about the case.
Most notably, the Ten Bells features in Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s acclaimed graphic novel From Hell (1999) and its 2001 film adaptation starring Johnny Depp. In the film, Depp’s Inspector Abberline shares a drink with Mary Kelly (played by Heather Graham) inside the pub. However, the building shown on screen was an on-set recreation rather than the real Ten Bells.
In a quirky footnote, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver featured the pub in his series Jamie’s Great Britain in 2011. His great-great-grandfather was apparently a landlord of the Ten Bells during the 1880s — meaning Oliver’s ancestor may have served drinks to the Ripper’s victims.
Visiting the Ten Bells Today
The Ten Bells remains a fully functioning pub and is well worth a visit, whether you’re interested in the Ripper history or simply appreciate a characterful East End boozer.
Address: 84 Commercial Street, London E1 6LY
Nearest stations: Liverpool Street (5 minutes walk), Aldgate East
Opening hours: Daily from 12pm (closes midnight Sunday-Wednesday, 1am Thursday-Saturday)
What to look for:
- The original Victorian ceramic wall tiles in blue and white patterns
- The painted tile mural Spitalfields in ye Olden Time depicting 18th century Spitalfields
- The companion mural Spitalfields in Modern Times (added in 2010) featuring local artists Gilbert & George
- The faded Truman’s Beers signage on the exterior
- The view across to Christ Church Spitalfields
The pub serves a range of craft beers, cocktails, and has an upstairs cocktail bar. Note that under-18s are not permitted, and the pub operates card payments only.
Experience the Full Story on a Jack the Ripper Tour
The Ten Bells is just one landmark in the story of Jack the Ripper. To truly understand the context of the murders — the desperate poverty of Victorian Whitechapel, the gas-lit alleyways where the crimes occurred, and the panic that gripped London during the Autumn of Terror — join us on our Jack the Ripper walking tour.
Our expert guides will take you through the murder sites, share the evidence, and let you draw your own conclusions about history’s most infamous unsolved mystery. Many of our evening tours end at or near the Ten Bells, giving you the perfect opportunity to raise a glass to the victims and reflect on the dark history you’ve just walked through.
Book your Jack the Ripper tour today
Planning your visit? The Ten Bells gets busy on weekends, particularly with the nearby Spitalfields Market drawing crowds on Sundays. For a more atmospheric experience, visit on a weekday evening when the candlelit interior and quieter atmosphere better evoke the pub’s Victorian past.
