Ripping good night on the trail of infamous Victorian murderer
JACK THE RIPPER AT TUTBURY CASTLE
I DON’t class myself as a super sleuth but I like to think, like a lot of others in the past, that I have researched enough information to know who Jack the Ripper really was.
The mysterious figure, often pictured by artists as a silhouette in darkened alleyways wearing a top hat, has gone down in history as one of the most infamous characters in Britain.
A man (or woman) who targeted at least five women in London’s Whitechapel area in the late 19th century.
It is still one of the greatest unsolved murder mysteries in British history, made all the more famous because he was never caught – or was he?
So famous is the mystery that there are ‘Ripper tours’ and museums in London, taking eager tourists around the scene of the crimes.
But now the mystery has been brought to Tutbury Castle as its history experts take on the role of the detectives tasked with identifying Jack.
The castle, famous for its live actors portraying Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I, showcased its first Jack the Ripper Interactive Night.
Many may scoff at people voluntarily reliving the horrors of Whitechapel but it was a sold-out event with visitors eager to immerse themselves in what happened on those dark nights in 1888.
After a buffet supper in the Great Hall, we met a detective who gives us a rundown of the crimes as they happened, each with snippets of clues for us to follow and consider when making our own minds up on the killer’s identity.
We started with lesser known Ripper victims, who are not officially considered to have been killed at his hands.
Then we moved on to the first ‘known’ Ripper victim – Mary Nichols whose body was found in a gateway in Bucks Row (now Durward Street) on August 31, 1888.
A volunteer was asked to lie on the floor and pose as the poor victim was found.
This was important to understand how murderous the Ripper grew with each kill – each time unleashing more ferocious injuries upon the innocent women.
We were told how Mary was killed, whether it was right or left handed stab wounds and how she was left.
Next we moved on to Annie Chapman, who was found in the backyard of 29 Hanbury Street, on September 8, 1888.
Again, a volunteer (I think this was me, in the end) was asked to lie down so we were able to see first hand how Annie was left, and the injuries inflicted were described.
By this time there was panic in London and Jack didn’t appear again for a few weeks.
This time Elizabeth Stride was found on September 30 – she would be the first of two victims who die within hours of each other.
We hear that Elizabeth did not succumb to such awful injuries as those before her, indicating the Ripper may have been disturbed.
The detective handed us several letters known as a famous Ripper letters addressed to police and media at the time.
We are told that they contained information only the Ripper would have known – including that of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes.
Catherine was the second victim on September 30, 1888. Her body was found in Mitre Square at 1.45am.
Her injuries were horrific and her killer had taken away a trophy of his crime.
October was quiet, but then on November 9, 1888, the Ripper returned and murdered Mary Kelly in her room in Miller’s Court.
We were handed newspaper extracts from the time detailing the murders and the victims.
We also saw photographs of many of the victims, which included the body of Mary Kelly.
With letters, photographs and newspapers in hand, we then worked in groups on our tables to come up with our suspect.
There was even the notion that Jack could have been Jill - a female killer.
Each group was then asked who their killer was and why, and then the entire room was asked to vote on who they thought Jack really was.
The next Jack the Ripper buffet evening will take place on Thursday, January 10.
You can book tickets online at http://tutburycastle.com