Friday, May 24, 2013

Legal Walk and Jack the Ripper Walk

Thursday was the last planned day we had in London, we had a legal walk scheduled and Joanne was our guide again for the morning. It was a tad bit chilly out but we made it through the walk and then went to the Royal Courts of Justice. We walked around the legal part of London where all the Inns of Court are located. There are four Inns; Gray’s, Lincoln, Middle Temple, and Inner Temple. These Inns are chosen by the Barristers and they are tied to them for life. They each had very beautiful gardens and their own chapels and dining halls. We walked through Lincoln’s park at first and they are very well kept and very pretty, Gray’s Inn Park was only open to the public for a few hours in the afternoon, we went to Lincoln Inn and the grass all around it almost looked fake. I have come to see that in a large city an area that has grass is taken care of rather well, these areas contain more trash cans than anywhere. Regents Park near the hotel and the parks in Bath were also the same way. I think because of the lack of grassy areas they tend to take more pride and care in these areas. The Inns of Court are used in history as the training facilities and lodging for Barristers, now a Barrister only goes to the Inn 12 times in the first year but never has to go back but has a lifetime connection. Some of the buildings were historic and some were rebuilt in the 1900s after the heavy bombing after World War II. We were also able to attend the Royal Courts of Justice and got to sit in on a case. After a slight delay, we watch the appeal process in the English justice system. Three men were appeal a sentence of 3 years which was the maximum for their sentence, the Judges had reviewed the case granted the reduced sentence of 2 years. It was interesting to see the appeal process in action and see how they handle it compared to American Justice. It isn't much different except for the fact that their judges and Barristers wear wigs. The architecture in the rooms in this court was more historic and really beautiful. Overall the day was a bit chilly but was a good experience and was really interesting.

That evening Kalee, Danielle, and I went on the Jack the Ripper Tour. We rode the tube to Tower Hill and were met by the guides. We split into two groups and started the walk, we were told about victims of the Ripper, theories, and possible suspects, and we visited some of the sites of the murders which have since changed but are in the same location. Jack the Ripper is the first known sexual serial killer and is by far one of the most well known. The murders started in September of 1888 and ended in November of 1888. There were only five victims total but the way that he killed the women was extremely particular and quite grotesque. Jack the Ripper left a big question mark on history; no one actually knows who committed the murders. I really enjoyed this tour and found it quite interesting to listen to someone who is so into Jack the Ripper tell the story that happened so long ago in the streets of London.

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