What is The Ten Bells?
Nestled in the heart of Shoreditch, The Ten Bells Pub stands as a permanent reminder of one of the darkest chapters in the East End’s history. Its shabby façade and creaking floorboards tell tales of both revelry and tragedy. But what sets this unassuming pub apart from the many other watering holes in the area? It’s the chilling link it shares with the enigmatic serial killer, Jack the Ripper.
When was The Ten Bells Pub built?
The pub can trace its history back to the mid 18th century, when it was called ‘Eight Bells Alehouse” in reference to the number of bells in Nicholas Hawksmoor's Christ Church, Spitalfields next door. The number of bells in the church has actually fluctuated over the last 200 years, but since the 1790s the pub has been known as The Ten Bells, apart from a brief interregnum in the 1970s. By the mid-1800s, the pub had been renovated and enlarged to serve the large number of immigrants who were moving into the East End.
What is the link between The Ten Bells Pub and Jack the Ripper?
The Ten Bells is most famed today for its link to the Jack the Ripper murders. On November 9, 1888, 25 year old Mary Kelly spent her evening drinking in The Ten Bells, loitering on the pavement outside, where she would regularly pick up clients. In the early hours of the morning, she walked back to her home in Miller’s Court, barely 300 yards away. The following morning she was found mutilated in her bed, the final and most violent victim of Jack the Ripper. The pub’s proximity to this gruesome crime scene forever etched its name into the annals of Ripper lore. Soon, the pub became a hot-spot for journalists and amateur sleuths wanting to solve the mystery of the killer’s identity. Ninety years later, the pub’s owners decided to cash in on this connection, when, in 1976, they renamed the pub, The Jack the Ripper, with memorabilia relating to the case propped up behind the bar. The change was not to last, as 12 years later, following a long campaign by Reclaim the Night, the pub was rebranded The Ten Bells.
Is The Ten Bells Pub Haunted?
But The Ten Bells’ eerie tale doesn’t end there. In the late 1990s, staff living in the pub reported multiple encounters with a ghostly old man dressed in Victorian clothing. Could this be the Ripper returning to his old hunting ground? Customers have also reported objects moving of their own accord, and shadows passing across the windows, although it is worth noting that most of these people had been drinking heavily.
Should I visit The Ten Bells Pub?
Today, The Ten Bells has a split personality. By day, it’s a trendy, one-room drinking den frequented by Shoreditch’s usual throng of hipsters looking for the latest bargains. By night, whispers of its dark past still echo through the air. Remarkably it has retained much of its Victorian interior, with blue and white tiles dating back to the late 19th century adorning the walls, and a mural celebrating the area’s historic links to the weaving industry.
Whether you’re a history buff, a budding Ripperologist, a curious traveller, or simply searching for the perfect pint, The Ten Bells awaits.
Want to visit during a tour? Join our daily Jack the Ripper Tour, which finishes next to The Ten Bells Pub, or alternatively check out all our London Free Walking Tours here.
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