The Ten Bells

[j.r-ahde]

Hello John!

An interesting piece of news.

Just wondering, that which one of the victims hasn't been haunting at times?!

Then another thing; has there ever been reports about Jacky himself haunting?!

All the best
Jukka

[Suzi]

Good one John!

Total toot of course- BUT those stairs to the lavvy and the lavvys when you get there are a tad 'willie putting up in' aren't they!...in more ways than 7!!!

Wonder where Marion Dampier-Jeans is now???

(Great name- and not one I'd admit to....it's the heat dammit!!)

IMHO the Ten Bells is there as a semi -icon mentioned ,maybe once too often- but as a 'watering hole' NO!- over priced and really slightly anti shall we say...or at the best... uninterested... The Spit, The Alice, The Alma or basically any other 'The' is a lot more fun....maybe not the Seven Stars though at present though!

[John Bennett]

Blast from the Past

East London Advertiser, 18 Aug 1994. Must have been the silly season.

[ken]

Personally i reckon the Ten Bells couldn't look more different inside now than it did in in 1888.

Firstly, corner pubs in those days were never 's**thole's', they couldn't afford to be due to the competition.

Secondly, in my opinion the ten bells in 1888 would have been an island bar (look at the wooden floor next time you go in) much like the Shipwright Arms on Tooley St. For a more accurate insight into what it probably looked like in 1888 check out the Prince Alfred on Formosa Street, Maida Vale where each door leads to a separate snug that is connected by an island bar. Why else would there be three still visible doors located on the corner and one on each side of the Ten Bells?

Sadly i think it's in the worst nick now than it's ever been.

[WARSPITE]

Take no notice Adam.Thats what most of us do. Theres a lot worse you can spend your fiver on. Imagine how much Annie or Mary spent in there. See you in there for a pint sometime

[Sam Flynn]

Just went in there today for a pint of Leffe, when I ordered the guy sort of smiled and said they are £5.30 now!

They've come a long way since it were 2d for a shot of blue ruin

[AdamWalsh]

Two shots I took on my first visit there a year or so back.....

[AdamWalsh]

Just went in there today for a pint of Leffe, when I ordered the guy sort of smiled and said they are £5.30 now! Wow, so its my favourite drink in there for whatever reason so I say "Ok" and he starts pouring it and another barman comes over giggling and says "Wow who is getting a pint of Leffe?" - as in presumably who is so stupid to pay £5.30 for a pint and the guy looks at me - bastards, oh well, I still like the place, I just sat there on my own with my back to the back wall (tiled painting section) and observed the life and thought about Jack..........

[John Bennett]

They're a bit inconsistent at the Ten Bells, aren't they?

I recently came into possession of a French documentary ('Babylone' - thanks Phil) about JTR which featured the likes of Phil, Lindsay Siviter and Don Rumbelow. It was in 2007 and even had a WS1888 meeting in it (including me having a fag). Another tour guide, Jenny Phillips, is filmed in the Ten Bells talking about the victims.

Well, a few weeks ago, I took a German documentary film crew around the East End. They wanted to film inside the Ten Bells, but when they sought permission a few weeks earlier they were given the cold shoulder - apparently it would have been OK if it the film was a 'big budget fashion shoot'. Tut.

I have to confess, my comments on the pub are never very complimentary. If somebody at the pub is reading these posts, no wonder they don't want Ripperologists sometimes!

[WARSPITE]

IMHO, The Ten Bells certainly needs sorting out externally and internally. Shoddy furniture, torn seats, graffiti covered walls, bio-hazard loos, extortionate beer prices, wall-to-wall pretentious w**kers spilling out onto the street...otherwise it's OK.

I liked it when it had a carpet

I agree John, who are those pretentious w**kers spilling out onto the street after work?! Liked it better when all youd bump into would be a few market folk, a cockney wench behind the bar, and the odd ripperologist. Must be fairly profitable and historically significant, yet they cant even give it a coat o crown!

[KatBradshaw]

I put a picture on the East End Pictures and drawings thread of the inside last time I went. It was quite atmospheric. The people behind the bar were happy for me to take the piccie.

[halomanuk]

That's great John,just what i was looking for.
Many thanks as always,
Barry

[John Bennett]

Halomanuk,

Try this link and scroll through:

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=ten+bells+pub&m=text

Pictures obviously taken by tourists etc, though it's interesting to note that there aren't many interior shots. The staff have been known to be a bit 'anti' photography, but I think it depends who's behind the bar at the time.

Here's a vintage one from 1987. This is about as busy as it used to get (as far as I remember), but look -they've got a carpet! They couldn't have one now, it would be threadbare within months. That said, they'd probably like it that way.

[halomanuk]

Does anyone have any recent photos of inside the pub or are the staff really short with people doing this now ?

[The Grave Maurice]

Rather harsh, Philip. You might have missed John's "...otherwise it's OK". I tend to agree that, despite its shortcomings, having a pint in The Bells is as close as we'll get to sharing an experience with MJK and, surely, one or two of the other victims. (But, John, if it once had a carpet, I didn't notice it.)

Chava: When I first went there it was called the JtR. They changed the name because, apparently, public opinion decreed that you shouldn't name a pub after a murderer.