Mitre Square - Drawing from Ipswich Journal

[Monty]

Gareth,

When were they vacated, Monty? I only ask out of curiosity piqued by having read that some coffee houses of the LVP were known to have been used as mere fronts for "houses of easy virtue". (Casts an interesting question over Mr and Mrs Stride, but that's by the by in terms of this thread )

Bloody good question.

The occupiers of Nos 6 & 7 are not listed in the Kelly Directories of 1882 so they may (and I stress may) have been vacated that far back. However, Ive a year of 1886 ringing in my head and trying to find why it does.

In the Kellys of 1895 we have a John Jacobs, Orange Merchant, living at No 6 Mitre Street and, now this is odd, a Thomas Newham, Coffee Rooms at No 7. He may have took advantage of the previous occupiers lay out.



Michael,

There was another image of the pub that Jake put up on the old boards. Its a better one in terms of the fact you can actually see the building almost full on. Ive a hard copy of that image but cannot locate it in my PC files. If I come across it I shall post it.

Cheers
Monty

Thanks Monty, and I love that image you uploaded, its going to be my wallpaper for a while.

Interesting that Sam mentioned clandestine bawdy houses under a veneer of a coffee house, I was wondering if Victorian London had what we in North American now call booze cans....after hours illegal drinking spots, usually in commercial areas....and if a coffee house might become that after midnight or when the legit pubs closed.

Cheers Monty.

[Sam Flynn]

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.

When were they vacated, Monty? I only ask out of curiosity piqued by having read that some coffee houses of the LVP were known to have been used as mere fronts for "houses of easy virtue". (Casts an interesting question over Mr and Mrs Stride, but that's by the by in terms of this thread )

[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.

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.

[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.

[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

[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.

[Suzi]

OK cheers! x

[Chris Scott]

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

[George Hutchinson]

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

PHILIP

[Suzi]

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

Suzi x

[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

[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

[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?