Photos From Hell : The 125th Anniversary Convention Photo Thread

[Big Jon]

Not sure if you'll be able to see this but this video is of the end of my talk. I announce the true identity of Jack the Ripper using the 2005 e-fit as evidence:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151981800547836

[Big Jon]

Jon:

That is an excellent test, if I may say so.

It was quite effective I think. Our actor was black. 6 people put down he was white!

[Howard Brown]

Jon:

That is an excellent test, if I may say so.

[Howard Brown]

How could youse have a convention without the woman ?

Thanks Jen...and Jon

[Chris G.]

"Secrets will be revealed. And remember - you may see, but you do not observe..."

This was me teasing any delegates who may have been reading my Twitter/Facebook about what would happen yesterday. What no one but a select few knew was that my talk wasn't just happening on the sunday - it had in fact begun the day before.


When leaving Shoreditch Town Hall on the Saturday the delegates walk past a man and a woman are having an argument in the street. These were a pair of actors we had hired and instructed to have an argument - enough to catch attention, but not enough for people to take much notice (I wanted to basically recreate circumstances surrounding a Ripper witness sighting).

When arriving at the venue on Sunday the delegates are asked to fill in witness statement about the event on the Saturday.

Later the talk and results of the demonstration were presented. About 1/3 of delegates had witnessed enough of the event to complete a description. Out of these 1/4 got the mans race wrong. The majority had his height wrong. They all claimed to have seen his hair colour and length - despite the fact he was wearing a hood and a hat so you couldn't actually see his hair...

Fascinating, Jon. What a brilliant plan to demonstrate the pitfalls of eyewitness testimony!

Cheers

Chris

[Jennifer Shelden]

you'll have a long wait, Caz couldnt make the conf this year!

[Big Jon]

I wish someone, goddammit, would post a photo of Caz.
What do you think I've been waiting for ??!#@!

Caz didn't attend.

[Big Jon]

"Secrets will be revealed. And remember - you may see, but you do not observe..."

This was me teasing any delegates who may have been reading my Twitter/Facebook about what would happen yesterday. What no one but a select few knew was that my talk wasn't just happening on the sunday - it had in fact begun the day before.


When leaving Shoreditch Town Hall on the Saturday the delegates walk past a man and a woman are having an argument in the street. These were a pair of actors we had hired and instructed to have an argument - enough to catch attention, but not enough for people to take much notice (I wanted to basically recreate circumstances surrounding a Ripper witness sighting).

When arriving at the venue on Sunday the delegates are asked to fill in witness statement about the event on the Saturday.

Later the talk and results of the demonstration were presented. About 1/3 of delegates had witnessed enough of the event to complete a description. Out of these 1/4 got the mans race wrong. The majority had his height wrong. They all claimed to have seen his hair colour and length - despite the fact he was wearing a hood and a hat so you couldn't actually see his hair...

[Howard Brown]

I wish someone, goddammit, would post a photo of Caz.
What do you think I've been waiting for ??!#@!

[Big Jon]

Looks like Jon received the Ripper Bear too. . .

http://instagram.com/p/ggtvG4Iv6N/

Jon: "I've just been presented with this! Adorable and homicidal!"

Each of the speakers was presented with one of these adorable little chaps.

[Big Jon]

From Jon Rees. Life in Whitechapel. Lindsay Sivitar in the second shot, I believe, standing at the bar second from the left.





Jon can confirm this but it looks as if they may have been recreating the inquest on Mary Jane Kelly.

This was actually a fictional play in which Abberline confronted Barnett and accuses him of being the killer a day or two after the Kelly murder. Some criticised this for deviating from established fact (especially as it shows Abberline dishing out a beating to Barnett) but I think they were trying to show the grief and desperation. Barnett is drunk and overcome with grief and blames everything on Abberline failing to capture the killer. Abberline is driven to the brink because of his failure.

As I said, not based on fact - but not hard to imagine that these feelings may have been present.

[Paul Kearney A.K.A. NEMO]

I could tell you what this talk was about but then I'd have to kill you



No comment



The above pictures have nothing to do with this trio...

[Chris G.]

Fine photographs, Nemo and SPE. Many thanks.

Cheers

Chris

[Paul Kearney A.K.A. NEMO]

Greg and the other PC's looked superb in their uniforms

Greg had gathered the items and clothes together himself - well done Greg

I do some artwork myself and I will use some of the lantern shots for inspiration

The actors were excellent and extremely entertaining

I particularly enjoyed the Champagne Charlie song from "Inspector Abberline" and the mystic and magical "Esmerelda" which were part of the Saturday evening Victorian music hall entertainment

The shots in the pub which Chris posted from Jon are of Abberline accosting and assaulting Joe Barnett in the pub, accusing him of being the Ripper but realising he had no evidence to arrest him

[Paul Kearney A.K.A. NEMO]

On Saturday night in the White Hart pub the landlord kindly allowed some of us into the cellar to see the original room which George Chapman used as a barber shop - this is the precarious entrance into the cellar



Eduardo Zinna beneath the White Hart



Ripperologists oohing and aahing in Chapman's shop



Stepping out of the side door of the White Hart into an alleyway you immediately see this sign for the next door premises - check out the phone number!



The original sign from the Ten Bells/JtR pub which I remember from my visit in 1976 (I was only 13 and had sidled away from a school trip to have a pint - naughty boy - God knows how I had ended up in Spitalfields as the school trip was to Baker St)