Historical Places London Archives

January 15 2023

Flip the Switch – Control Room B at Battersea Power Station

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Turn back the wheels of time and transport back to the 1950s Battersea Power Station. Engineers of Control Room B busy distributing power for London’s historical landmarks, including Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament.

After the reopening of the power station as shopping centre last October, Control Room B has been operating as a unique bar serving electrifying cocktails to power up your day out with friends.

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♬ CASE 143 – Stray Kids

Recharge Your Energy Among to the Original Control Panels

Photo: Urban Adventurer

The centrepiece bar is inspired by the turbine of the power station and pays tribute to its fascinating history.

Photo: Urban Adventurer

Book a table and enjoy a themed cocktail amongst the original control desks, dials and switchgear racks that have been restored to their old glory. Feel free to go behind the plexiglass walls and explore the control panels by yourself (the friendly staff is happy to answer any question you may have).

Alternatively, book a 30-minute Champagne Guided Tour for Two to deep dive into the electric history of Battersea Power Station.

Power Up with High Voltage Cocktails

‘Renewable Energy’ Mocktail

Photo: Urban Adventurer

Power up with high voltage cocktails, inspired by the power station! Over 10 vibrant signature cocktails are available to recharge your energy, including non-alcoholic options.

To help you immerse more into the 1950s, the staff wear boiler suit to to keep up the style of the original uniform engineers used.

Ready for your next adventure? The Light Festival is returning at Battersea Power Station! Eight unique light installations will glow up on 19^th January and will be there to enjoy until 5^th March. Blog post with photos and videos coming soon.

October 27 2020

The Most Haunted Pub in London – The Ten Bells

Urban Adventurer Cocktail, Halloween, Historical Places 1888, 19th century London, Annie Chapman, Ghosts, Haunted Pubs in London, Historical Places London, Jack the Ripper, London's Most Haunted Pub, Mary Kelly, Spitalfields, The Ten Bells, Whitechapel 0

A great number of pubs in London are hundreds of years old and have witnessed the city being changed over the centuries. Some of the most hair-rising historical events happened or started within the walls of those pubs.

One of those pubs is The Ten Bells, which is often get connected with one of the most mysterious murderers, Jack the Ripper.

The Ten Bells

The Ten Bells Pub

Photo: Urban Adventurer

The Ten Bells is standing on the corner of Commercial Street and Fournier Street, and believe it or not, has not much changed since it opened in 1752.

Due to the pub’s supposed connection to Jack the Ripper, in 1976 the landlord changed its name to ‘The Jack the Ripper’, with the hope of increasing the pub’s popularity and profit. After 12 years, however, the pub got back its original name and been operating under the name of ‘The Ten Bells’ since then.

Jack the Ripper and The Ten Bells

One of the most notorious cases in London’s criminal history is Jack the Ripper’s. Although, the mystery around him has never been solved, he is believed to have waited for his drunken victims in The Ten Bells.

Mary Kelly

Murder Site of Mary Kelly’s. Miller’s Court

Image source

During the night on 9^th November 1888, a 25-year-old attractive woman with fair complexion and light hair left the pub. Her name was Mary Kelly. The next morning her landlord sent his assistant, Thomas Bowyer to collect the rent overdue from Miss Kelly.

Bowyer banged the door but received no answer. There was no doubt, however, that Mary Kelly was in the room. Bowyer went around to investigate the room through one of the broken windows only to discover Miss Kelly’s mutilated body lying on the bed.

Mary Kelly is believed to have met her murderer, Jack the Ripper, at Christ Church Spitalfields, just one-minute walk from The Ten Bells.

Annie Chapman

Murder Site of Annie Chapman. 29 Hanbury Street

Image source

Just one day before, on 8^th November 1888, Annie Chapman’s lifeless body was found at 29 Hanbury Street, just behind The Ten Bells.

Hanbury Street Today

Photo: Urban Adventurer

Chapman was a 47-year-old, short, pump woman, with dark curly hair and blue eyes. She was Jack the Ripper’s second victim after Mary Ann Nichols.

Nichols’ severely mutilated body was discovered in Buck’s Row, a 14-minue walk from The Ten Bells.

Ghost Haunting

Jack the Ripper’s story was not the only eerie story happened within the walls of The Ten Bells over the centuries.

During the 1990s the staff living in the building, regularly witnessed the ghost of a Victorian-dressed man appearing and disappearing.

Even today, customers regularly report about seeing the above ghost in the pub. Annie Chapman’s ghost is also believed to haunt within the building. Gusts of winds and moving objects have been reported by the staff, customers and landlords.

Jack the Ripper Museum

Photo: Urban Adventurer

Jack the Ripper Museum is a 15-minute-walk from The Ten Bells, and is located at the exact location where the Ripper murdered his third victim, Elizabeth Stride.

Photo: Urban Adventurer

The six-floor museum recreates the crimes and the crime scenes.

On exploring the museum, you will learn everything we know about the crime scenes, the victims, the main suspects, the police investigation and the everyday life in the east end of London in 1888.

Tickets

You can either book your ticket online or purchase it at the door.

The museum offers guided walks to visit the real crime locations around Whitechapel.

Ready for your next adventure? Why not go for an eerie adventure and discover London’s most notorious execution sites?