Ten Bells
A historic public house at the corner of Commercial Street and Fournier Street in Spitalfields, London.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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History
Ten Bells is a public house in Spitalfields, London, located beside Christ Church, Spitalfields, at the junction of Commercial Street and Fournier Street. Its precise origin is not established, but a pub on the site or in its immediate vicinity has existed since at least the eighteenth century. The earliest documented name supplied in historical accounts is the Eight Bells Alehouse, recorded in 1755. The pub's names reflected the bell installation at the neighbouring church, designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor. After the church acquired a larger set of chimes in the late eighteenth century, the public house adopted the Ten Bells name. Insurance records show the name in use by 1794. Although the church's number of bells later changed, including a reduction after a steeple fire in 1836, the Ten Bells designation endured. The original public house stood at 12 Red Lion Street. The construction of Commercial Street in 1851 required the building to be demolished, allowing the owners, associated with Truman Hanbury Buxton & Co., to transfer the business to its current premises at 84 Commercial Street. The address was also known for a time as 33 Church Street. The relocation tied the pub to the expanding commercial and transport geography of nineteenth-century Spitalfields. The present building retains extensive late-Victorian interior decoration. Original tiling covers much of the interior, with blue-and-white floral patterns, a decorative dado, and a large mural depicting a visit to a weaver's shop in historic Spitalfields. The mural, produced by W. B. Simpson and Sons in the late nineteenth century, reflects the area's textile and weaving economy. The building became a Grade II listed structure in 1973. The pub's twentieth-century reputation increasingly depended on its relationship with the Jack the Ripper story. Annie Chapman, murdered in 1888, has been associated with drinking at the pub before her death, while Mary Jane Kelly has been linked in popular accounts with the pavement outside. These connections are part of the historical and tourist literature surrounding the murders, rather than a straightforward account of the pub's institutional history. Between 1976 and 1988, the pub operated under the name The Jack the Ripper and displayed memorabilia about the case. Reclaim the Night campaigned against this presentation, arguing that it celebrated or commercialized the murderer rather than respecting the women who were killed. The brewery subsequently ordered a return to the original Ten Bells name. The controversy became a notable example of the tension between crime tourism and the commemoration of victims. Ten Bells later appeared in cultural works including From Hell, the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, and its 2001 film adaptation. In December 2010, landlord John Twomey led a renovation designed to make the Victorian character of the premises more visible. Artist Ian Harper added a second mural, Spitalfields in Modern Times, which shifted attention from nineteenth-century weavers to contemporary local life. In 2011, Jamie Oliver featured the pub in Jamie's Great Britain while investigating his East London ancestry; his great-great-grandfather had been a landlord there during the 1880s. The establishment continues as a London pub and hospitality venue. Its distinctive proposition combines drinks and food service with a preserved historic interior, a prominent location in Spitalfields, and a layered cultural reputation shaped by local history, heritage conservation, media, and the contested legacy of Jack the Ripper tourism.
- 2011
Featured on Jamie's Great Britain
[1]The pub appeared in Jamie Oliver's television series in an episode about East London history and Oliver's family connection to the venue.
- 2010
Victorian heritage renovation
[1]A renovation led by landlord John Twomey highlighted the original interior and introduced Ian Harper's modern Spitalfields mural.
- 1988
Returned to the Ten Bells name
[1]Following Reclaim the Night's campaign, the brewery required the pub to abandon the Jack the Ripper name and resume its historic name.
- 1976
Renamed The Jack the Ripper
[1]The pub adopted a name based on its developing association with the Jack the Ripper narrative.
- 1973
Building listed at Grade II
[1]The building received Grade II listed status, recognizing its architectural and historic interest.
- 1851
Moved to the present location
[1]The original premises were demolished during the cutting of Commercial Street, and the pub moved to 84 Commercial Street.
- 1794
Ten Bells name documented
[1]Insurance records identify the pub as the Ten Bells on Church Street in Spitalfields.
- 1755
Recorded as the Eight Bells Alehouse
[1]The establishment is documented under the Eight Bells name, linking it to the bell sequence at neighbouring Christ Church, Spitalfields.
Products and positioning
A historic East London public house positioned around traditional pub hospitality, Victorian architectural character, Spitalfields heritage, and a highly publicized connection with Jack the Ripper history.
Hospitality
Pub drinks service
Ten Bells operates as a traditional public house serving alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Its offer is centered on the social pub experience rather than a packaged branded product, with the venue's historic setting forming an important part of the customer proposition.
Food service
Traditional pub food
The venue's hospitality offer includes pub food alongside drinks service. Available menus and specific signature dishes are not established by the supplied reference material, so no individual food item is identified as a flagship product.
Heritage hospitality
Historic venue experience
The preserved Victorian tilework, the historic weaver mural, the adjacent church, and the building's literary and crime-history associations collectively function as a major part of Ten Bells' visitor experience and brand identity.
Marketing campaigns
- 2011Jamie's Great Britain feature
United Kingdom
Ten Bells was featured in Jamie Oliver's television series as part of an exploration of East London life and Oliver's family connection to the pub.
Outcome. The appearance increased the venue's exposure as a historic East London location.
- 1988Reclaim the Night campaign against The Jack the Ripper branding
United Kingdom
Reclaim the Night opposed the pub's use of the Jack the Ripper name and its display of related memorabilia, objecting to the treatment of a murderer of women as a commercial attraction.
Outcome. The brewery ordered the pub to return to the Ten Bells name, ending the period in which it operated as The Jack the Ripper.
Brand decisions
2010
Renovate to emphasize Victorian heritageStrategyBackground
The listed pub possessed extensive historic tilework and murals that formed a central part of its identity.
Action taken
Landlord John Twomey renovated the interior to display its Victorian character more fully and commissioned a contemporary mural by Ian Harper.
Aftermath
The venue presented historic Spitalfields imagery alongside a modern mural depicting contemporary local people and scenes.
1988
Restore the Ten Bells nameStrategyBackground
The pub had operated as The Jack the Ripper and displayed memorabilia connected with the murders. Reclaim the Night challenged the decision to commercialize the killer's identity.
Action taken
The brewery directed the venue to return to its historic Ten Bells name and discontinue the Jack the Ripper branding.
Aftermath
The pub retained its links to the case in popular culture but no longer used the killer's name as its official identity.
Recent events
- 2011
Ten Bells featured in Jamie's Great Britain[1]
Campaign · Other
Jamie Oliver visited the pub for a television episode exploring his East London family history and the social history of the area.
- 2010
Victorian-focused renovation completed[1]
Other
Landlord John Twomey renovated the pub to display and protect more of its Victorian interior and added a contemporary mural by Ian Harper.
- 1988
Ten Bells renamed after Jack the Ripper association[1]
Campaign · Other
The pub returned to the Ten Bells name after a campaign by Reclaim the Night challenged its use of The Jack the Ripper name and related memorabilia.
Sources2 sources
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