The Ten Bells: A Haunted Hotspot?

The Ten Bells pub is an important and famous landmark on the Jack the Ripper map, but did you know that its legacy continues to exist long after the Ripper’s original murders have been branded into the pages of history?

Located at the corner of Commercial Street at the interchange with Fournier Street, the Ten Bells pub has been in place since at least the 1740’s and is a firm favourite on our Jack the Ripper walk.

How is the Ten Bells Connected to the Ripper?

It is said that several of Jack’s victims frequented the establishment before they were killed.

In spring 1888, Elizabeth Stride was thrown out of the pub for drunk and disorderly behaviour. Mary Kelly was seen in the pub with a friend on the night before her death. Allegedly, Annie Chapman was said to be drinking alone in the Ten Bells only hours before her body was later discovered.

With such a strong connection to Jack the Ripper, it isn’t hard to see why the Ten Bells has become famous for being one of the Ripper’s main haunts. But this isn’t all, as over the years, staff and visitors alike have reported sightings of a range of ghostly apparitions in the pub. Could these people have caught a glimpse of the Ripper himself?

There’s only one way to find out – let’s meet the ghosts!

The Victorian Landlord

In the late 1990’s, staff with rooms on the pub’s upper floors frequently reported regular encounters with the ghost of a Victorian man. The staff would wake in the night feeling uneasy, turn over, and see his ghostly form lying next to them! As soon as they called out, he would disappear.

Although the descriptions were always similar, nobody could pinpoint the man’s identity. However, in 2000, a new landlord arrived. While clearing out the cellar, he found an old box hidden in a corner. The box contained items belonging to a certain George Roberts, including a wallet containing a 1900’s press cutting talking about Roberts’ murder. After further research, he found that Roberts had been the landlord of the pub around this time. Was it his ghost the staff kept seeing?

The Murdered Baby

Becoming aware of the ghostly activity, they called in a psychic to assess the building. All was fine until she got to the top floor of the pub, where she refused to enter a room. She declared that something terrible had taken place in the room, involving the death of a 19th-century baby.

Several years later, a researcher was touring the pub. While up in the roof space, she noticed some material behind the water tank. Upon further investigation, this turned out to be a sack containing a set of mouldy baby clothes dating back to the Victorian era. Even more chillingly, the clothes looked to have been cut with a knife. The tank was located directly above the room the psychic had pointed out.

The Mysterious Poltergeist

In 2001, a tenant would often hear footsteps and laughter in the hallway outside his room, even when he was alone in the pub. Upon investigation, the corridor would always be empty. When heading down to the bar, he would sometimes be pushed by an invisible hand.

Contact us today and book yourself onto our Jack the Ripper walk – you may even see the ghosts for yourself!