Cutting Point

[Tom_Wescott]

I agree, Christer. I think the actual cover, in person, looks better than the one online. Dark, with that burst of color in one spot. I stayed up past 1am reading to page 87 last night. I read at night, so I'm looking forward to diving back into it tonight.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[MrBarnett]

Thanks! It’ s from 1875, I believe, and so it fits in quite well within the time frame. I think the cover artist, Nicolas Krizan, did a great job.

Do you know what kind of business operated out of the weatherboarded building on the right?

[MrBarnett]

Yes, it’s a great image and relevant on several levels.

The inn was demolished in 1876 to accommodate the enlargement of the Old Bailey.

It stood in the Ward of Farringdon Within - Polly Nichols was born a short distance away in the Ward of Farringdon Without.

And according to an etching from 1880 (see attached) the ramshackle wooden building on the right was at one time the premises of a Carman.

Given the geographical diversity of the Ripper and Torso series, it’s a great choice.

http://english18thcenturyportraitsculpture.blogspot.com/2018/07/oxford-arms-warwick-lane-faringdon.html?m=1

[Observer]

Excellent link Mr Barnett, very interesting

[MrBarnett]

Excellent link Mr Barnett, very interesting

Yes, some pretty impressive research there.

I came across it when I was doing something similar in respect of Dawes Court where Polly N. Was born.

I managed to find an image containing the arched entrance to the Court off Gunpowder Alley, but not the Court itself - at least not so far.

[Observer]

Yes very impressive. You'd know this better than me. Do you think there are as yet undiscovered images of locations which would be interesting to we "Ripperologists" (for want of a better name) hiding in those large depository's like the V and A ?

[MrBarnett]

Yes very impressive. You'd know this better than me. Do you think there are as yet undiscovered images of locations which would be interesting to we "Ripperologists" (for want of a better name) hiding in those large depository's like the V and A ?

There probably are some somewhere - perhaps unindexed.

This is a bit off topic, but one of my perennial searches is for a photo of Breezer’s Hill before the original houses on the E side were demolished. There was a photographer named Akkersdyke whose father ran a pub in Ship Alley just across the Highway from Breezer’s Hill. Many of the old houses along Pennington Street were over 200 years old by 1900 and they were considered picturesque and were photographed and painted. I haven’t found any of the W end of Pennington Street and the all-important Breezer’s Hill corner, though. They were a perfect subject for a photographer with a sense of history. Did Akkersdyke ever nip across the Highway and photograph the western end of Pennington Street and Breezers Hill?

He emigrated to South Africa and started a photography business which still exists. I’ve emailed them a couple of times, but they haven’t responded.


Anyway, back to the subject of the thread. Kudos to Christer for the cover image - it’s all I have to go on so far.

[Observer]

Yes, apologies to Fisherman for drifting off topic. One final thing though, being an avid photographer, I've took quite a few photographs of the Breezers Hill area, not only for the reason that It's part of the Mary Kelly story, but of course the Ratcliffe Highway murders occured in that vicinity. Am I right in thinking though that the building at the lower part of the Eastern side of Breezers Hill are of 18th Century origin? The tobacco dock wall at the bottom of the Hill, in Pennington Street is of course 18th Century is it not?

[MrBarnett]

Yes, apologies to Fisherman for drifting off topic. One final thing though, being an avid photographer, I've took quite a few photographs of the Breezers Hill area, not only for the reason that It's part of the Mary Kelly story, but of course the Ratcliffe Highway murders occured in that vicinity. Am I right in thinking though that the building at the lower part of the Eastern side of Breezers Hill are of 18th Century origin? The tobacco dock wall at the bottom of the Hill, in Pennington Street is of course 18th Century is it not?

The London Dock was built in the early 19th century. Prior to that there were houses on both sides of Pennington Street. Originally there was a pub at either end of Breezer’s Hill and the space in between was gradually filled in by 4 small houses. My maternal grandmother was born in one of them (no. 3) in 1896. I can’t remember the exact dates, but I think the pub and two houses at the southern end were replaced with warehousing around 1890, and the northern end around 1910.

I think MJK lived in the pub at the southern end - the Old Red Lion - the address of which was actually 79, Pennington Street rather than Breezer’s Hill. It had ceased trading as a pub in the 1870s and having been built a couple of hundred years previously was probably pretty run down at the time.

[MrBarnett]

My odd take on Ripperology has lead to me being more interested in Lechmere’s mum than in the carman himself.

I get the impression that she was a very strong woman who would have influenced her son greatly. I’m not suggesting she turned him into a serial killer, but I think his opinion of ‘unfortunates’ would have been partially formed by her.

[Observer]

Right, so the warehouse at the south eastern end of the Hill was built around 1890. I remember doing a comparison of old maps, and looking at the profiles of the buildings, came to the conclusion that the warehouse in question was of an earlier date. I'm working from memory here though, and bough to your superior knowledge, I didn't take notes, so must be mistaken. Anyway back to Fishermans book coverage.

[MrBarnett]

Right, so the warehouse at the south eastern end of the Hill was built around 1890. I remember doing a comparison of old maps, and looking at the profiles of the buildings, came to the conclusion that the warehouse in question was of an earlier date. I'm working from memory here though, and bough to your superior knowledge, I didn't take notes, so must be mistaken. Anyway back to Fishermans book coverage.

I’ll look back at my notes, and perhaps create a thread about the nefarious goings-on in P. St.

I recall Ed Stow once telling me that Lechmere’s in-laws came from Wapping way, so maybe he was familiar with the area from his courting days.

[Observer]

Ok Mr B, I'm sure an interesting thread in the making

Cheers

[Tom_Wescott]

I'm almost to the end of Cutting Point. This book is dangerous.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[barnflatwyngarde]

I'm almost to the end of Cutting Point. This book is dangerous.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

Hi Tom, by "dangerous" do you mean that Christer has made a compelling case for Mr Cross*/Mr Lechmere*?
No spoilers please!

(* delete where applicable)