Mitre Square - Drawing from Ipswich Journal

[Chris Scott]

Ipswich Journal
5 October 1888

[George Hutchinson]

What a little beauty!

Thanks, Chris.

PHILIP

[Chris Scott]

Hi Phil
You're more than welcome!
Chris S

[Robert]

Great pic, Chris, though I find it puzzling : if the police hadn't yet finished with the crime scene, why let the crowd into the Square? If they had finished with the crime scene, why keep the crowd back?

[George Hutchinson]

It's an odd one, Robert, but there are other illustrations of Mitre Square showing the same thing and I expect it would have been the same with the other locations if they had been places where crowds were allowed to throng; if you think about it, the only one of the C5 sites that doesn't have a newspaper illustration of huge crowds milling around the location is Bucks Row.

PHILIP

[Monty]

Chris,

Mitre Square was closed off to the public until the Sunday afternoon, once Foster had completed his plans.

I suspect that there was a drop of artistic license with this pic.

Monty

[Suzi]

Fascinating Chris-
Am tantalised by the 'Scene of the Berner St murder ' reference at the top right too......

Suzi x

[George Hutchinson]

Monty - could also be that the drawing was done on the Sunday?

PHILIP

[Chris Scott]

Hi Suzi
I posted the Berner Street pic under a separate thread
Chris

[Suzi]

OK cheers! x

[Monty]

Philip

Could have been. Theres the image of Foster in Mitre square, cant remember the paper its in off hand. And one in the sourcebook of PCs clearing a crowd that had gathered in the square.

As you said, crowds gathered at the murder scenes for days after the crime. Even Lusk and Co mingled in Dosset St.

[ChrisGeorge]

Hi All

Excellent find, Chris.

The gate at the left of the picture is rather curious and doesn't seem to be shown in Foster's drawing of the square or discussed in the literature as far as I know.

Seeing the gate made me think I was looking at first at Berner Street rather than Mitre Square.

Chris

[Jon Guy]

Inspector George Izzard, with the assistance of Sgt Dudman and Sgt Phelps, were charged with keeping the excited and curious crowds back at Mitre Sq, that Sunday morning.

[perrymason]

Hello all,

Maybe someone knows the answer to this.....in the fictional case of Fairy Fay in late 1887, there is a portion of the story that alledges the woman had been drinking in a pub in Mitre Square, does anyone know if that is also fiction, or was there a pub in Mitre Square at some point?

Are any of the abandoned houses actually closed pubs?

Best regards all.

[Monty]

Hello all,

Maybe someone knows the answer to this.....in the fictional case of Fairy Fay in late 1887, there is a portion of the story that alledges the woman had been drinking in a pub in Mitre Square, does anyone know if that is also fiction, or was there a pub in Mitre Square at some point?

Are any of the abandoned houses actually closed pubs?

Best regards all.

Michael,

No pub but the abandoned houses of 6-7 mitre Street, behind which Eddowes was found, were used as coffee rooms until they were vacated.

The closest pub which matches that kinda description is The Old Jewllery Mart pub situated in St James Place (Orange Market).

Attached is an image of St James Place from Duke Street Corner (Where Watkins started his beat) toward King Street, C 1884. The pub was situated upon the right hand side, with the 'Ale' sign upon it..

Aplogies for the dodgy file upload.