At the start of lockdown, Zabou was in the process of painting a new mural just off Toynbee Street on the back of "The Wellington" pub. The mural features the infamous Jack the Ripper peeking out of a wall with trademark deerstalker hat, staring crazily down at the pavement below. Most of the "Jack the Ripper" murders happened in this area with a piece of bloody cloth left with a message on Goulston Street, just around the corner from here and the closest and last murder scene attributed to the Ripper in what was Dorset Street literally around the corner. Dorset Street is known as White's Row today, and the ground where the low income accommodations occupied had included a parking garage in more modern times, but this was replaced with an office block in the past couple of years. A barber shop with the pun-name "Jack the Clipper" is also located nearby.
The Jack the Ripper mural brings back the element of history to this part of east London and the grim reminder that this part of London was very poor and laden with crime and disorder in the not-so-distant past. The Ripper murders took place in the late 1800s, and that's only been about 140 years ago.
Obviously, the identity of Jack the Ripper was never discovered and will never be discovered now, and there are many theories as to who it may have been. Nevertheless, the Ripper is synonymous with the history in this part of east London. Tourists can take walking tours and ghost tours in order to be transported back into these dark times. Rest in peace to the unfortunate women who became the victims of this crime and of other murders and crimes in this dark period of the history of London.
Previous Zabou murals that have appeared on this blog include:
Zabou: 'Racism is a Virus' Street Art
New Murals by Zabou in East London (Clockwork Orange, Sherlock, David Bowie)
Zabou "The Shining" and Refresh of Salvador Dali in Spitalfields
Villana and Zabou Collaborate on Amy Winehouse Street Art
Zabou paints Sid Vicious from 'The Sex Pistols'
Zabou Paints Freda #2 at Broadway Market
Zabou Paints Salvador Dali on Commercial Road
Koeone and Zabou Collaborate
"Keep Out!" Street Art by Zabou
Zabou's 'Cabinet of Curiosity' Street Art
Leake Street Tunnels Street Art, Spring 2016
Recent Street Art by Zabou
Street Art: Zabou
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