Donald Rumbelow
Encyclopedia
Donald Rumbelow is a British
crime historian, former Curator
of the City of London Police
's Crime Museum., two-time chairman of Britain's Crime Writers' Association, and author of the book The Complete Jack the Ripper
Known as an expert in the field of Jack the Ripper
research, Rumbelow hosts tourist groups four times a week on a "Jack the Ripper Walk" - a walking tour of the crime scene
s in London's Whitechapel district, home of the infamous Ripper murders. A London Tourist Board Blue Badge Guide, Rumbelow's tour takes approximately 2 hours to complete. The tour commences from Tower Hill
, northwest of the Tower of London
, and ends inside the Ten Bells, a Victorian
public house
frequented by Ripper victims Annie Chapman
and Mary Kelly
. During the walk, Rumbelow summarizes the Ripper murders and provides an understanding of what the Spitalfields
and Whitechapel
areas of London's East End
were like in 1888, the year the murders took place.
In addition to the Ripper tours, Rumbelow gives lectures on London's crime history and has taken part in several documentaries about Jack the Ripper. Rumbelow is married and has two children.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
crime historian, former Curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
of the City of London Police
City of London Police
The City of London Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the City of London, England, including the Middle and Inner Temple. The service responsible for law enforcement within the rest of Greater London is the Metropolitan Police Service, a separate...
's Crime Museum., two-time chairman of Britain's Crime Writers' Association, and author of the book The Complete Jack the Ripper
Known as an expert in the field of Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
research, Rumbelow hosts tourist groups four times a week on a "Jack the Ripper Walk" - a walking tour of the crime scene
Crime scene
A crime scene is a location where an illegal act took place, and comprises the area from which most of the physical evidence is retrieved by trained law enforcement personnel, crime scene investigators or in rare circumstances, forensic scientists....
s in London's Whitechapel district, home of the infamous Ripper murders. A London Tourist Board Blue Badge Guide, Rumbelow's tour takes approximately 2 hours to complete. The tour commences from Tower Hill
Tower Hill
Tower Hill is an elevated spot northwest of the Tower of London, just outside the limits of the City of London, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Formerly it was part of the Tower Liberty under the direct administrative control of Tower...
, northwest of the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
, and ends inside the Ten Bells, a Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
frequented by Ripper victims Annie Chapman
Annie Chapman
Annie Chapman , born Eliza Ann Smith, was a victim of the notorious unidentified serial killer Jack the Ripper, who killed and mutilated five women in the Whitechapel area of London from late August to early November 1888.-Life and background:Annie Chapman was born Eliza Ann Smith...
and Mary Kelly
Mary Jane Kelly
Mary Jane Kelly , also known as "Marie Jeanette" Kelly, "Fair Emma", "Ginger" and "Black Mary", is widely believed to be the fifth and final victim of the notorious unidentified serial killer Jack the Ripper, who killed and mutilated prostitutes in the Whitechapel area of London from late August to...
. During the walk, Rumbelow summarizes the Ripper murders and provides an understanding of what the Spitalfields
Spitalfields
Spitalfields is a former parish in the borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London, near to Liverpool Street station and Brick Lane. The area straddles Commercial Street and is home to many markets, including the historic Old Spitalfields Market, founded in the 17th century, Sunday...
and Whitechapel
Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...
areas of London's East End
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
were like in 1888, the year the murders took place.
In addition to the Ripper tours, Rumbelow gives lectures on London's crime history and has taken part in several documentaries about Jack the Ripper. Rumbelow is married and has two children.
Books by Donald Rumbelow
- Donald Rumbelow: I Spy Blue: Police and Crime in the City of London from Elizabeth I to Victoria, Verlag Macmillian, 1971
- Donald Rumbelow: Houndsditch Murders, Verlag Macmillian, 1973
- D. Rumbelow, Judy Hindley, Colin King: Detection (Know how books), Usborne PublishingUsborne PublishingUsborne Publishing, often called Usborne Books, is a United Kingdom-based publisher of children's literature.Founded by Peter Usborne in 1973, Usborne Publishing uses an in-house team of writers, editors and designers and is translated into over 55 languages...
Ltd, 1978 - Donald Rumbelow: Triple Tree, Harap, 1982
- Donald Rumbelow: The Complete Jack the Ripper (True Crime), Penguin BooksPenguin BooksPenguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
Ltd, 1988 ISBN 0-140-17395-1 - Stewart P. Evans und D. Rumbelow: Jack the Ripper: Scotland Yard Investigates, Sutton Publishing, 2007, ISBN 0750942282