Whitechapel 1888The evidence, and its limits

Scene · Annie Chapman · 8 September 1888

29 Hanbury Street — Annie Chapman

Then: Back yard of 29 Hanbury Street, Spitalfields (north side), reached through the passage of a multi-occupied former weaver's house. Now: Old Truman Brewery car park, north side of Hanbury Street, E1 (house demolished 1970).

Schematic plan

Schematic reconstruction — not a historical plan · North at top: Hanbury Street along the bottom; the yard extends north behind the house. West (No. 27) on the left, east (No. 25, toward Brick Lane) on the right. · Schematic; only the ~3 ft recess and ~5 ft 6 in fence are witness figures. Not a survey.

Hanbury Street29 Hanbury Street (3 storeys + garret)Ground-floor front: Hardiman's cats'-meat shopPassage (front door to back door)Front door (side)Back door (opens outward, swings left)Three stone stepsRecess (~3 ft steps→fence)Fence to No. 27 (~5 ft 6 in)Fence to No. 25 (~5 ft 6 in)Yard (rough stones / earth)Wood shed (Mrs Richardson)Closet (privy)Yard of No. 27 (Cadosch)Yard of No. 25Body (head toward house, feet toward shed)

approximate uncertain · numbered circles are evidence hotspots (dashed ring: uncertain position)

Plan key: 16 drawn elements, with the basis for each

Choose a numbered hotspot on the plan, or one from this list, to see its claims and source passages.

Case overview · Map · Timeline · Inquest

Time window

Scene summary (research team's compilation)

Left Crossingham's c.1.45 a.m. Richardson on the back steps c.4.45–4.50 and saw no body. Cadosch heard 'No' and a fall against the fence c.5.20–5.25. Long saw a couple outside c.5.30. Davis found the body shortly before or just after 6.00. Chandler in the yard 6.10; Phillips 6.30.

Last reported sighting
“about half past five (Long)” ≈ 05:30 (claim)
Discovery
“quarter to six struck... a little after six” ≈ 05:50–06:05 (claim)
Police beats
  • No police beat through the yard; no constable reported passing Hanbury Street in the sources retrieved.

Events at this scene

  1. "about ten minutes to two" (Donovan); "about a quarter to two o'clock" (Evans)01:40–01:55 Chapman leaves 35 Dorset St lodging house without bed money ("Don't let it"), via Paternoster Row toward Brushfield St / Spitalfields Church.
  2. ten minutes to four o'clock03:50 Carman Thompson leaves No. 29 for work (did not go into the yard).
  3. "between 4,45 a.m. and 4.50 a.m."; "It was getting light"04:45–04:50 John Richardson at 29 Hanbury St, sits on the back steps to trim his boot; says body not in the yard.
  4. "about a quarter past five" (rose); "about twenty minutes past five, I should think"; returned "three or four minutes afterwards"05:15–05:28 Albert Cadosch in yard of No. 27 hears a voice say "No" from the direction of No. 29; 3-4 minutes later hears a fall against the fence.
  5. "I heard the brewer's clock strike half-past five just before I got to the street"05:28–05:35 Elizabeth Long sees a woman (identified as Chapman) talking to a dark man outside No. 29: "Will you?" "Yes."
  6. "about two minutes after half-past five as I passed Spitalfields Church"05:31–05:33 Cadosch passes Spitalfields Church on his way to work.
  7. "fell asleep until a quarter to six, when the clock at Spitalfields Church struck"; "about six o'clock" (coroner)05:45–06:05 John Davis, waking at ~5:45 by the church clock, goes down and finds the body in the yard; calls men from nearby.
  8. “at ten minutes past six”06:10–06:15 Inspector Chandler, told at Commercial St/Hanbury St corner, takes possession of the yard; sends for Dr Phillips and the ambulance.
  9. "called by the police at 6.20 a.m.... arrived at half-past six"06:20–06:30 Dr Phillips called 6:20, arrives 6:30.
  10. seven o'clock on Saturday morning (mortuary keeper)06:45–07:05 Sergeant Badham takes the body to the mortuary on the ambulance; Chandler arrives there shortly after seven.

Layout

Layout (research team's description from the cited sources)

No. 29 was a single-fronted, three-storey former weaver's house with a garret, on the north side of Hanbury Street. A side front door opened into a passage running straight through the house to a back door; neither door locked. From the back door, three unprotected stone steps went down into the yard, which was lower than the passage. Facing the door: Mrs Richardson's wood shed on the far left, a closet in the right-hand corner. Close wooden fencing about 5 ft 6 in high divided the yard from No. 27 (left, Cadosch) and No. 25 (right). To the left of the steps was a recess about 3 ft wide between steps and fence. The back door opened outwards and swung to the left, toward that recess. The yard was partly rough stone paving, partly earth; there was a water tap.

  • Retrieved Well supported Passage through the house; doors unlockable (claim)
  • Retrieved approximate Three stone steps down; recess ~3 ft steps-to-fence (claim)
  • Retrieved approximate Fencing ~5 ft 6 in (Davis) to 6 ft (Cadosch) (claim)
  • Retrieved Well supported Back door opens outwards, swings left toward recess (claim)
  • Inference approximate Plan spacing schematic (claim)
How the body lay (position only; no injury detail)

On her back in the recess left of the steps, parallel with the fence to No. 27; head toward the house about level with the bottom step, feet toward the shed; legs drawn up with knees outward; face turned right; left arm across the breast. Clothing pulled up. (Medical detail of injuries omitted here; see medical pass.)

Street names: Hanbury Street retains its name; the entire north side was demolished in 1970.

People at the scene

Witnesses
John Davis (Davies), James Kent, James Green, Amelia Richardson, John Richardson, Harriet Hardiman, Albert Cadosch, Elizabeth Long (Mrs Durrell), John Evans, Thompson (carman, 29 Hanbury St)
Police
Inspector Joseph Chandler (H Division), Sergeant Edward Badham (31H), Detective Sergeant William Thick (H Division)
Medical
Dr George Bagster Phillips

Drawings and images

29 Hanbury Street: schematic elevation, section and ground plan

This sourced drawing stands where a photograph of the house was shown until its licence could not be confirmed (it is withheld). It is a reconstruction, not a photograph.

Reconstruction, not a photograph. Schematic reconstruction drawn from inquest testimony and press descriptions. It is not a photograph, survey or historical plan.

Street front (elevation)

Street front (elevation) - schematic reconstruction, not a photographThe front of No. 29 seen from Hanbury Street, with the four floor levels and who lived in each front room; neighbours No. 27 on the left and No. 25 on the right. Solid lines are documented in the cited sources; dashed lines are not documented and are indicative only. 12 numbered hotspots link to the source notes below the drawing.

Section through the passage, steps and yard (looking west)

Section through the passage, steps and yard (looking west) - schematic reconstruction, not a photographThe passage about 20 ft long at the level of the street, the back door, the steps down about 4 ft to the yard, the fence to No. 27 about 5 ft 6 in to 6 ft high, the yard about 30 ft long to the shed, and the cellar below. Solid lines are documented in the cited sources; dashed lines are not documented and are indicative only. 13 numbered hotspots link to the source notes below the drawing.

Ground plan (north at top)

Ground plan (north at top) - schematic reconstruction, not a photographPlan of the ground floor and yard: front door and passage on the west side, front shop and back parlour, back door and steps, the 3 ft recess between the steps and the fence to No. 27 where the body lay, the shed at the far end, and Hanbury Street at the bottom. Solid lines are documented in the cited sources; dashed lines are not documented and are indicative only. 20 numbered hotspots link to the source notes below the drawing.

documented in the cited source not documented - indicative zone (position only) · numbered circles link to the notes · 34 documented, 11 indicative features

29 Hanbury Street: schematic elevation, section and ground plan. Line drawing of 29 Hanbury Street in three panels: the street front, a section from the street through the passage, back steps and yard, and a ground plan of the house and yard with the fences to Nos. 27 and 25. Documented features are solid; dashed features are not documented and are indicative only. Where the body lay is shown as an outlined zone, not a figure.
Source notes for the 45 numbered features

  1. Front wall and front door "at the side", opening into the passage documented

    Which side the door is on is not stated; it is drawn on the west (left) side because the passage leads to the back door, and the recess and body lay on the left of the steps beside the fence to No. 27 (see the fence and body features).

    Claim: 29 Hanbury Street faced the street with one ground-floor win… · Back to the drawing

  2. Passage from the front door to the back door, about 20 ft long documented · about 20 ft (Echo)

    Claim: 29 Hanbury Street faced the street with one ground-floor win… · Back to the drawing

  3. Ground-floor front room: Mrs Hardiman's cats'-meat shop documented

    Claim: Seventeen people lived in No. 29: e.g., Harriet Hardiman (ca… · Back to the drawing

  4. Back parlour, looking out on the yard documented

    Claim: Seventeen people lived in No. 29: e.g., Harriet Hardiman (ca… · Back to the drawing

  5. Staircase to the upper floors, on the left side, reached from the passage not documented - indicative

    Only the secondary Casebook wiki places the stairs; its size and position are not documented. Drawn between the passage and the party wall, which also accounts for the 3 ft between the steps and the fence.

    Claim: 29 Hanbury Street faced the street with one ground-floor win… · Back to the drawing

  6. Width of the house and of the rooms not documented - indicative

    No source gives the frontage width, the passage width or where the front and back rooms divide; the house is drawn 16 ft wide and the passage 3.5 ft wide only so the plan can be read.

    Back to the drawing

  7. Back door at the end of the passage; opens outwards and swings to the left, to the palings documented

    Claim: 29 Hanbury Street faced the street with one ground-floor win… · Claim: John Richardson said he sat on the middle step of the back d… · Back to the drawing

  8. Stone steps down from the back door into the yard (three: Davis; two: press) documented · 3 steps (sworn) / 2 (press)

    The number conflicts: John Davis swore to three, the shared press description (Times, Daily News, Evening Standard of 10 Sep) says two. Three are drawn; the tread depth is not documented.

    Claim: The yard lay below the passage level, reached by three unpro… · Back to the drawing

  9. Recess on the left of the steps, about 3 ft from the steps to the fence documented · about 3 ft (Davis; press)

    Claim: The yard lay below the passage level, reached by three unpro… · Back to the drawing

  10. Where the body lay: in the recess, parallel with the fence, head towards the house about 2 ft from the wall documented · head ≈2 ft from the wall; zone ≈5 ft 4 in long

    Drawn as an outlined zone only (no figure). The zone starts about 2 ft from the back wall (Chandler) and is as long as the police description of the deceased (5 ft 4 in, Echo); its width is not documented.

    Claim: Chapman lay on her back in the recess to the left of the ste… · Back to the drawing

  11. Close wooden fence (palings) dividing the yard from No. 27, about 5 ft 6 in to 6 ft high; not strongly erected documented · 5 ft 6 in (Davis) – 6 ft (Cadosch)

    Claim: The palings were not strongly built but might bear a man's w… · Claim: Albert Cadosch, next door at No. 27, said that at about 5.20… · Back to the drawing

  12. Fence on the other side, to No. 25 documented

    Davis gives one height for "both sides"; that the far side adjoins No. 25 follows from No. 27 being on the near (left) side.

    Claim: The yard lay below the passage level, reached by three unpro… · Back to the drawing

  13. Yard: about 30 ft long; "a large yard"; paved roughly with stones in parts, earth in others documented · about 30 ft long (Pall Mall Gazette)

    Sources differ on its size ("large", Davis; "small", Echo). Only the length is given; the yard is drawn as wide as the house.

    Claim: The yard lay below the passage level, reached by three unpro… · Back to the drawing

  14. Wood shed at the far side of the yard, on the left facing from the back door documented

    Its size is not documented (drawn at an indicative footprint).

    Claim: The yard lay below the passage level, reached by three unpro… · Back to the drawing

  15. Closet (privy) "in the right-hand corner" not documented - indicative

    Davis does not say which right-hand corner; it is drawn in the far right corner. Position not documented.

    Claim: The yard lay below the passage level, reached by three unpro… · Back to the drawing

  16. Water tap in the yard (leather apron found about 2 ft from it) not documented - indicative

    The tap existed, but no source places it in the yard; the mark is indicative.

    Claim: Near her feet lay a piece of coarse muslin, a small-tooth co… · Back to the drawing

  17. Cellar door with padlock, visible from the back doorstep not documented - indicative

    Richardson could see the padlock from the doorstep, and "looked down" to the cellar; where the cellar door was is not stated. Drawn against the back wall, right of the steps.

    Claim: John Richardson said he sat on the middle step of the back d… · Back to the drawing

  18. Mrs Long's couple: on the pavement, a few yards nearer Brick Lane than No. 29 documented

    "A few yards" is not a measurement; the marks are placed east of the house (towards Brick Lane).

    Claim: Elizabeth Long, walking west on the north side of Hanbury St… · Back to the drawing

  19. Albert Cadosch in the yard of No. 27, next door documented

    Claim: Albert Cadosch, next door at No. 27, said that at about 5.20… · Back to the drawing

  20. Hanbury Street documented

    Claim: 29 Hanbury Street faced the street with one ground-floor win… · Back to the drawing

  21. Passage floor, front door to back door (about 20 ft) documented · ≈20 ft

    Claim: 29 Hanbury Street faced the street with one ground-floor win… · Back to the drawing

  22. Yard about 4 ft below the level of the passage documented · about 4 ft (press)

    The 4 ft figure is from the press; Davis says only that the yard is lower. With two steps (press) or three (Davis), 4 ft would mean unusually high risers, so one of the figures may be loose.

    Claim: The yard lay below the passage level, reached by three unpro… · Back to the drawing

  23. Steps from the back door down to the yard documented · 3 (Davis) / 2 (press)

    Three drawn. Rise and tread are not documented.

    Claim: The yard lay below the passage level, reached by three unpro… · Back to the drawing

  24. Back door (Davis "stood in the entrance"; Kent stood "on the top of the back door steps") documented

    The door height is not documented.

    Claim: John Davis heard Spitalfields Church strike a quarter to six… · Back to the drawing

  25. John Richardson sat on the middle step, his feet on the flags of the yard documented

    Chandler reported that Richardson "did not go down the steps"; the conflict is recorded on the claim.

    Claim: John Richardson said he sat on the middle step of the back d… · Back to the drawing

  26. Where the body lay: on the yard surface at the bottom of the steps, head towards the house documented · from ≈2 ft to ≈7 ft 4 in from the wall

    Outlined zone only. In this view the zone lies beside the steps, between them and the fence (see the plan).

    Claim: Chapman lay on her back in the recess to the left of the ste… · Back to the drawing

  27. Marks on the back wall between the steps and the palings, about 18 in from the ground documented · about 18 in (Phillips)

    Claim: About six patches of blood were on the back wall of the hous… · Back to the drawing

  28. Fence to No. 27 behind the section line, about 5 ft 6 in to 6 ft high documented · 5 ft 6 in – 6 ft

    Claim: The palings were not strongly built but might bear a man's w… · Back to the drawing

  29. Yard, about 30 ft long, to the shed at the far end documented · ≈30 ft

    Claim: The yard lay below the passage level, reached by three unpro… · Back to the drawing

  30. Shed at the far end of the yard not documented - indicative

    The shed is documented; its height and depth are not.

    Claim: The yard lay below the passage level, reached by three unpro… · Back to the drawing

  31. Cellar workshops below the house; cellar door with padlock not documented - indicative

    The cellar existed; its depth, extent and the position of its door are not documented.

    Claim: Seventeen people lived in No. 29: e.g., Harriet Hardiman (ca… · Back to the drawing

  32. Upper floors and roof (heights not documented) not documented - indicative

    Storey heights and roof form are not documented.

    Claim: Seventeen people lived in No. 29: e.g., Harriet Hardiman (ca… · Back to the drawing

  33. Street and front door documented

    The relation of the street level to the passage floor is not documented; drawn level.

    Claim: 29 Hanbury Street faced the street with one ground-floor win… · Back to the drawing

  34. Single-fronted house facing Hanbury Street documented

    Width and height are not documented (see the indicative outline).

    Claim: 29 Hanbury Street faced the street with one ground-floor win… · Back to the drawing

  35. Overall height, frontage width, storey heights and roof not documented - indicative

    None of these is documented; the outline is drawn only to hold the documented features.

    No source describes this; drawn for legibility only.

    Back to the drawing

  36. Four floor levels: ground, first, second and third (top) floors documented

    Conflict recorded: the Pall Mall Gazette says two storeys; the Echo, Amelia Richardson's list of rooms (ground to third floor) and the Casebook wiki support four levels. The floor lines are placed at indicative heights.

    Claim: Seventeen people lived in No. 29: e.g., Harriet Hardiman (ca… · Back to the drawing

  37. Front door at the side documented

    Drawn on the left (west) side, the side of the passage in the plan; which side is not stated. Door size not documented.

    Claim: 29 Hanbury Street faced the street with one ground-floor win… · Back to the drawing

  38. One window on the ground floor, with shutters documented

    Window size not documented.

    Claim: 29 Hanbury Street faced the street with one ground-floor win… · Back to the drawing

  39. Ground-floor front: Mrs Hardiman's cats'-meat shop documented

    Claim: Seventeen people lived in No. 29: e.g., Harriet Hardiman (ca… · Back to the drawing

  40. First floor front: Amelia Richardson (and her grandson that night) documented

    Claim: Seventeen people lived in No. 29: e.g., Harriet Hardiman (ca… · Back to the drawing

  41. Second floor front: Mr and Mrs Thompson documented

    Claim: Seventeen people lived in No. 29: e.g., Harriet Hardiman (ca… · Back to the drawing

  42. Third floor front: John Davis and family documented

    Claim: Seventeen people lived in No. 29: e.g., Harriet Hardiman (ca… · Back to the drawing

  43. Weaver's "light across the room" in the Davises' third-floor room not documented - indicative

    Davis mentions the window but not where it faced; drawn on the front as a long window, which is not documented.

    Claim: Seventeen people lived in No. 29: e.g., Harriet Hardiman (ca… · Back to the drawing

  44. Windows of the first and second floors not documented - indicative

    No source describes them; drawn as plain openings.

    No source describes this; drawn for legibility only.

    Back to the drawing

  45. No. 27 (Cadosch) on the west / left; No. 25 on the east / right, towards Brick Lane documented

    No. 27 is placed on the left because the body lay in the left-hand recess beside the 27/29 fence; the elevation is seen from the street, so left is west.

    Claim: Albert Cadosch, next door at No. 27, said that at about 5.20… · Back to the drawing

Images

Period photographs, plans and press illustrations, with their licences. Illustrations are artists' impressions. Images flagged as graphic stay hidden until you choose to see them.

Shows the victim (not graphic).

Dr Phillips examining the body of Annie Chapman in a press drawing of 1888 (The Illustrated Police News).. Period illustration: an artist's impression, not a photograph
Period illustration: an artist's impression, not a photographDr Phillips examining the body of Annie Chapman in a press drawing of 1888 (The Illustrated Police News).Unknown author. Public domain · source page

Shows the victim (not graphic).

1888 edition of The Illustrated Police News.. Period illustration: an artist's impression, not a photograph
Period illustration: an artist's impression, not a photograph1888 edition of The Illustrated Police News.Authors and staff of The Illustrated Police News. 1888.. Public domain · source page

Shows the victim (not graphic).

"Latest Details of the Whitechapel Murders : Annie Chapman - before and after death", The Illustrated Police News, Saturday, September 22, 1888.. Period illustration: an artist's impression, not a photograph
Period illustration: an artist's impression, not a photograph"Latest Details of the Whitechapel Murders : Annie Chapman - before and after death", The Illustrated Police News, Saturday, September 22, 1888.Unknown author. Public domain · source page
Hanbury Street, London. Modern car park location photographed is on the street's North side and is exactly opposite 28 and 30 Hanbury Street. Confirmed using SatNav.. Modern photograph (2008): the site as it was then, not in 1888
Modern photograph (2008): the site as it was then, not in 1888Hanbury Street, London. Modern car park location photographed is on the street's North side and is exactly opposite 28 and 30 Hanbury Street. Confirmed using SatNav.Jack1956. Public domain · source page