The Old Bull and Bush on North End Way, is a legendary Hampstead pub that, in the 19th century, was a favourite Sunday and Bank Holiday resort with Eastenders.
It was immortalised in the song Down at the Old Bull and Bush, made famous by the Australian born music hall artiste, Florrie Forde, and the joy that a visit to the tavern, perched on the edge of Hampstead Heath, gave to visiting Londoners is legendary.
JACK THE RIPPER AT THE OLD BULL AND BUSH
The Old Bull and Bush seems far removed from the streets of Jack the Ripper’s East End; and yet, according to several books and articles published in the late 1980s, the pub was being haunted by his ghost.
THE FURTIVE PHANTOM
Peter Underwood had this to say about the phantom figure that people could come and make eyes at down at the Old Bull and Bush:-
“For many years, according to Police Sergeant Maurice Link, eerie stories have abounded about the Old Bull and Bush being haunted by the menacing ghost of a man, customers having claimed to see such a figure standing unsmiling at the bar, “looking a bit furtive.”
A SKELETON FOUND
Peter also mentions having been told by his friend, local G. P. Dr Bernard Finch, that in 1986 a skeleton, some nineteenth century surgical knives and a piece of women’s clothing were discovered by a builder renovating the cellars of the Old Bull and Bush.
According to Peter:-
“Newspaper reports suggested that authorities thought the skeleton found in the walled-up cellar may be that of none other than Jack the Ripper himself. The bones were found in an old ventilation shaft that was bricked-up in the late 19th century.”
A BIT OF A MYSTERY
This story was fascinating to me when I read it whilst preparing for this video, not least because, in 1993, the brewery that then owned the pub, Taylor Walker, commissioned me to write a history of the Old Bull and Bush when they made it one of their heritage inns, and at no time whilst researching its history did I find any mention of a skeleton being found in the cellar, nor that Jack the Ripper was actually haunting the premises.
Since this would be a major story to include in a history of the pub, I scoured the newspapers from 1986, but could find no mention in any of them of such a major find.
Just as I was about to give up, believing that the good doctor had been pulling Peter Underwood’s leg, I decided to expand my search, and, lo and behold, I found the article in a 1985 edition of The Daily Express.
AMAZING FIND DOWN AT THE OLD BULL AND BUSH
PUB SKELETON COULD BE JACK THE RIPPER
The article’s headline announced.
There was even a photograph of the landlord, Graham Doye, posing with the skeleton for the newspaper’s photographer.
THE MYSTERY SOLVED
The article went on to make the bold statement that the find may finally solve the mystery of Jack the Ripper.
AVRIL BADINER THE FIRST VICTIM
It also contained the curious claim that his first victim was a young French comedienne by the name of Avril Badiner.
THE SKELETON AND THE GHOST
Dr Bernard Finch, the local G.P. ,who had shared the story with Peter Underwood, was even said to have examined the skeleton and to have ascertained that the man it belonged to was about 5 foot 10 inches tall, and was very strong.
He was right-handed, and probably about 30 to 35 years old, possibly a little younger.
Police Sergeant Maurice Link told the Express’s reporter that there had been stories of the pub being haunted by a Victorian gentleman for years and years.
THE TIMING IS IMPORTANT!
And Graham Doyle, the landlord, who had only been at the pub for five months, was quoted as observing that:- “I’ve been told these stories. Always around this time of year it seems some joker reckons he’s heard some mysterious noise.”
As it transpired, the time of year when some joker claimed to have heard some mysterious noises proved to be the key to unlocking this particular mystery.
THE MYSTERY SOLVED
I had never heard of a French comedienne named Avril Badiner having been a victim, let alone the first victim, of Jack the Ripper, and, sure enough, Avril Badiner is French for April Banter; and a quick look at the date at the top of the page, revealed the solution to the mystery of Jack the Ripper’s skeleton being found in a little nook down in the cellar of the old bull and bush – for there in black and white was scrawled the date when the story appeared was April the 1st 1985.
APRIL FOOL
And so this was, in fact, an April fool’s day story that got picked up by several authors and was given wider circulation long after the banter associated with April the 1st was over.
In fairness to Peter Underwood he did begin his report with the caveat:-
“Another kind of Jack the Ripper hoax seems to have been attempted in 1986.” although he then goes on to quote his friend Dr. Bernard Finch, and police sergeant Maurice Link, both of whom are mentioned in the Expresses’ April fool prank.
AN IMPORTANT LESSON
The hoax demonstrates an important lesson to all those who pore over the ever increasing information that is becoming available about the Jack the Ripper case – just because something appears in a book or newspaper article, or is featured in a TV documentary, it doesn’t make it an established fact, and due diligence should always be applied to any information that emerges on the case, no matter how trusted the source might be.