Hanbury Street

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hanbury Street is a street in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, located in Whitechapel and Spitalfields in the East End of London.

In the early morning of 9 September 1888, the mutilated body of prostitute Annie Chapman was found in the garden of #29 Hanbury Street. Like other prostitutes, Chapman regularly entertained clients there, gaining access to the garden by a door on the front of the building, usually unlocked, that provided access to a narrow passage through the building to the rear.

Chapman is generally held to have been the second victim of Jack the Ripper. In order to get a clear view of what the murder scene looked like during the Ripper's era, there is still some authentic film footage available from 29 Hanbury Street's back-yard (1967).

Today, buildings with shops below and flats above can still be found on the south side of Hanbury Street, across from the murder site. But #29, which was on the north side of the street, no longer exists, having been demolished. The Old Truman Brewery was extended to cover the entire block north of Hanbury street; and since 2004 this has been the site of Sunday (Up)Market [1].

South side of Hanbury Street, showing #28 and #30. These buildings are similar in style to #29, with additional front doors providing access to the rear.