Vehicle Ban Tomorrow

[Peter F Young]

If someone was planning to get rid of a certain someone living in Miller Court early one morning, it would be to that persons advantage to know that all horse-drawn cabs would be banned from certain areas connected with Lord Mayorial rejoicings, due to info given to City Press by Col. Sir James Fraser and reported in papers on 7th Nov 1888:

For Lord Mayor's Day the following regulations have been issued by Sir James Fraser: From the hour of ten a.m. until the Lord Mayor's procession has returned to the Guildhall, and for such longer period as may be found necessary, the following streets and approaches thereto will be closed to all wheeled traffic: Gresham-street west, St. Martin's-le-Grand, Cheapside, Poultry, Mansion House-street, Cornhill, Leadenhall-street, Billiter-street, Fenchurch-street, Mincing-lane, Great Tower-street, Eastcheap, King William-street, Queen Victoria-street, Cannon-street, St. Paul's-churchyard, Ludgate-hill, Fleet-street, Victoria-embankment, Queen-street and King-street. No procession other than that of the Lord Mayor, nor any organised body of persons shall on that day be, or pass in, or along any street or thoroughfare within the City of London and its liberties.
Would the feeding of the 2,000 poor and needy bunfight be likely to encroach upon the streets around Dorset St?

[ChrisGeorge]

Hello Peter

How would the street closings affect an early morning murder. By most accounts the murder would have taken place by 10:00 AM when the street closings would begin, as per the information you quoted.

Chris

[Sam Flynn]

Here's the rough area of the "Lord Mayor's Cordon" traced in blue at bottom left ("cordon blue"... geddit? ), with Dorset Street in the red oval towards the upper right:



The distance between the north-easternmost part of the "cordon" to Dorset Street I put at roughly half, to three-quarters, of a mile.

[Simon Wood]

Hi All,

The two most interesting streets closed to wheeled traffic from 10.00 am on the morning of 9th November 1888 were Scotland Yard and Victoria Embankment.

Check out The Times and Daily Telegraph for complete lists.

Regarding Millers Court—

"Never before had so many men been despatched to the scene of a murder from Whitehall."—Manchester Guardian and other newspapers, 10th November 1888.

How did Abberline [alerted by telegraph to the murder at some time after 11.00 am] get from Scotland Yard to Millers Court by 11.30 am?

Abberline inquest testimony: "I was on the scene of the murder by 11.30 on Friday . . ."

Regards,

Simon

[Sam Flynn]

I'm sure Abberline was domiciled at Leman Street station at the time of the Kelly murder, Simon.

[Simon Wood]

Hi Sam,

Abberline being at Leman Street on 9th November was a bit of luck seeing as six weeks had gone by since the double event.

Why did ALL the press think he'd arrived from Scotland Yard?

Regards,

Simon

[Sam Flynn]

Abberline being at Leman Street on 9th November was a bit of luck seeing as six weeks had gone by since the double event.

I'll need to check, Simon, but wasn't he temporarily based in Whitechapel for the duration?

Why did ALL the press think he'd arrived from Scotland Yard?

Well, he was "from" Scotland Yard, in the sense that "Knacker of the Yard" was. I have checked some of the press reports, and in point of fact the Scotsman, the Irish Times and the Croydon Times all stated that Abberline was based at Leman Street nick, and arrived at Miller's Court within 10 minutes of being summoned.

[Peter F Young]

Here's the rough area of the "Lord Mayor's Cordon" traced in blue at bottom left ("cordon blue"... geddit? )
Groan
, with Dorset Street in the red oval towards the upper right:

[ATTACH]4486[/ATTACH]

The distance between the north-easternmost part of the "cordon" to Dorset Street I put at roughly half, to three-quarters, of a mile.

Thanks for the concise map, Sam
Best Regards,
Peter

[Peter F Young]

Hello Peter

How would the street closings affect an early morning murder. By most accounts the murder would have taken place by 10:00 AM when the street closings would begin, as per the information you quoted.

Chris

Hello Chris,
Forward thinking, gridlock, chaos caused by inability of police to cope with thousands of people struggling to get a good spot or pitch for the forthcoming jollies?
Regards,
Peter.

[Peter F Young]

Thanks for the concise map, Sam
Best Regards,
Peter

From Bernard Brown, Casebook 2003:
The North Metropolitan Tramway Company had been laying new tramlines along the whole of Commercial Street, night and day, so that horse-drawn traffic would be diverted down Wentworth, Thrawl, Flower and Dean, Fashion, Church and Hanbury Streets to Brick Lane, thereby avoiding the construction works and the Haymarket, which made the area far too busy and dangerous to try anything.
The Commercial Street tramway finally opened on 15th November 1888 with a service of chocolate liveried cars between Bloomsbury and Poplar.
Food for more thought,
Peter