In 1888 London was a far different place than we see today…. it was the largest capital city in the world, but also the most deprived. Its population had swelled to around 6.9 million and Victorian London was in full swing… In the more affluent parts, it was being transformed with modern concert halls, restaurants and hotels being constructed. However, in the East End of London it was a different story…. Whitechapel, in particular, was considered one of the worst parts of London. For its 250,000 inhabitants, life was tough..
The area was overcrowded and littered with crime. The working, living and sanitation conditions for those who lived there were unbearable. The poverty-stricken residents lived in the dimly lit maze of roads and alleyways that were often smeared with human and animal excrement and the smell drifting through the slums was putrid. Many of the residents were foreign immigrants with little or no money who worked long hours for just a few shillings.
For the women living in these slums, many had no choice but to resort to prostitution to earn enough to eat, during this era around 1,200 prostitutes were working in Whitechapel. Most of them were alcoholics who frequented the dingy bars in the area in search of clients…
These ladies of the night were considered the pits of society, and if they were killed in the hands of a customer it went virtually unreported. This was a side of London that others preferred to forget about. That was until until a person would become the subject of one of the most mysterious and infamous killing in British history…. Jack The Ripper.
Episode narrated by Top5s
Music by CO.AG
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Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing cases involving serial killers. Listener discretion is advised.
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