Why the East End? Jack the Ripper probably operated in the East End of London for a number of reasons: Pollution & Sanitation Poverty and Housing Work and Crime Using the three information sheets, complete the first part of your police report into Jack the Ripper.

Pollution & Sanitation The Main Reason? In your opinion, what was the main reason why Jack the Ripper operated in the East End? Why? Pollution & Sanitation Poverty & Housing Work & Crime

Reason 1: Pollution & Sanitation London was an industrial city and as such suffered from pollution. The smoke and stinking gas fumes choked the streets so badly that at times it was not even possible to see your own hand in front of your face, this was known as smog (smoke and fog = smog!) These smogs were called “Pea Soupers” because of their greenish colour. The houses in areas such as Whitechapel were always near the railways which were polluting the air! The terraced housing used coal to heat the houses and this meant soot would leave the chimney with the smoke. This would rise up in to the atmosphere and then land back down, turning buildings black and making clothes filthy. The diagram shows a row of terraced houses from the East End. One family would occupy each floor! The attic and cellar were also used to house one family each. There was only one toilet – at the end of the street! This led to horrendous smells and sewage collecting in the narrow streets of Whitechapel and nearby areas. “In one group of 26 streets … the ground was covered with sewage which leaked into the sewers. A pool, over a metre deep, was found in one cellar under the bed where the family slept.” From a report by a social reformer

Reason 2: Immigration and Housing In the last decade of the nineteenth century London’s population expanded to four million, which spurred a high demand for cheap housing in areas that became known as slums. These were very similar to the rookeries of the previous century. The East End of London was one of these areas. They became notorious for overcrowding, unsanitary and squalid living conditions. The streets of Whitechapel and the rest of the East End were described as a ‘maze’ – confusing and cramped Left: A policeman investigating the Ripper murders demonstrates the narrow alleys of the East End – less than 1 metre wide, in this case! In the last decades of the nineteenth century the East End of London was inhabited predominantly by the working classes, including the native English population, Irish immigrants and immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe, mostly poor Russian, Polish and German Jews. Most of these groups lived in real poverty. “The East End is London’s poor quarter. It is also the area most identified with social problems. Life is hard for those living in its maze of tiny streets. It is even harder for the over 8,000 homeless and destitute families who go to common lodging houses every night” From a report by a social reformer in the East End in the 1890s

Reason 3: Work and Crime There was also little work available for women, and no help for those women who were unemployed other than the workhouse. Many were forced to become prostitutes to survive. There were probably over 90,000 ‘part-time’ prostitutes. These were women forced to go on the streets to make ends meet. All the victims that Jack killed were these type of prostitutes. For women such as these, their only escape from terrible lives was often drink, especially gin, and they quickly became helpless alcoholics. “The streets are desolate and deserted after nightfall. Turn down this side-street, but tuck out of view any items of jewellery. The street is oppressively dark though some shop fronts are lit. Men are lounging in doorways smoking evil-smelling pipes, women are strolling about in twos and threes, or are seated gossiping on steps leading into even darker passages. Round the corner is the notorious Wentworth Street, where it is said the police will only go in pairs.” From an article about Whitechapel in the Daily News, 1888 Right: The Whitechapel area had a large amount of Pubs and Inns to profit from the poverty and depression of the people. The term ‘criminal classes’ was used to describe many of the people of the East End - used to suggest a social group stuck at the bottom of society. Most offenders were young males, committing petty theft and vagrancy

Reason 1: Pollution and Sanitation Questions to consider: What factors caused London’s heavy pollution? How might the smog help Jack the Ripper? How might the terrible sanitation help the Ripper? Think about the mess and the smell! ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________ Investigation: Jack the Ripper murders Status: Unsolved Date: 1888 Area of London: _________________________ ____________________________________ Possible Suspects: ______________________ Reason 2: Immigration and Housing Reason 3: Work and Crime Questions to consider: How might immigration help the Ripper to avoid capture? How might the maze of narrow alleys help the Ripper? Why might the terrible conditions cause crime to be more likely? Questions to consider: Why were many women forced to become prostitutes? How did pubs and inns contribute to crime in the East End? How might the Ripper have taken advantage of these conditions in the East End? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________