London's newly-opened Ripper Museum has garnered a huge amount of controversy since its opening, with its detractors saying that it glorifies violence against museum.
Already, protests have been held outside the museum and its architect has branded it as "salacious, misogynist rubbish" and claimed that he was duped into working on the project.
"The local community was duped, we were duped. They came to us and said they had no money but that this is a real heartfelt project. It is incredibly important to celebrate women in politics in the East End. We really ran with it. We did it at a bargain-basement fee, at cost price because we thought it was a great thing to do."
The museum's founder, a former Google employee, originally intended to open a museum of women's social history in the area. However as the project developed, he opted to turn the museum into one that explored the murders of Jack The Ripper.
Fern Riddell, a historian who works as a consultant on BBC's Ripper Street, recently visited the museum and live-tweeted her experience. Needless to say, she wasn't a fan. At all.
I cycled to @RipperMuseum after the first wave of protests, mostly to see if it was as bad as I imagined, and also pic.twitter.com/rvsfauwhvI
— Fern Riddell (@FernRiddell) September 30, 2015
...because I'm a historian of the period w/ a specific interest in this area. So there's no way I wouldn't go. @RipperMuseum
— Fern Riddell (@FernRiddell) September 30, 2015
Or maybe it was the looping soundtrack of women screaming and voices yelling 'Murder!' that plays continually as you arrive. #RipperMuseum
— Fern Riddell (@FernRiddell) September 30, 2015
It was better than I had expected, with bios and little known pictures. I wondered if I was wrong about @RipperMuseum pic.twitter.com/8Tlmbp8bM3
— Fern Riddell (@FernRiddell) September 30, 2015
And of the most violent, graphic and horrifying violence against the women. As wall decorations. No context. No history. #RipperMuseum
— Fern Riddell (@FernRiddell) September 30, 2015
Then you move onto 'The Police Station' possibly the most fun 'imagining' of the 19thC I've seen in a long time. pic.twitter.com/UVt0CVBzAQ
— Fern Riddell (@FernRiddell) September 30, 2015
...the way this room is put together and presented as accurate 'history'? No, no, no. #RipperMuseum
— Fern Riddell (@FernRiddell) September 30, 2015
attacker into a myth, divorcing the crimes from reality. These were real women, someone actually did these truly horrific things to them.
— Fern Riddell (@FernRiddell) September 30, 2015
So Room 3. It is empty apart from the waxwork body of a DEAD WOMAN, with a Policeman standing over her. #RipperMuseum pic.twitter.com/TsJ8XvyIi5
— Fern Riddell (@FernRiddell) September 30, 2015
There's loads more besides as we've only included a handful of her observations, but one thing is telling - this museum is pretty damn gross. The museum has already been targeted for another protest by the Fuck Parade organisers who attacked the Cereal Killer Cafe last weekend. Meanwhile, the Ripper Museum's PR agent defended the museum's content, saying that the museum doesn't glorify violence against women and sex workers.
Going by Fern's photos and appraisal, it looks like pretty cut and dry. What do you think? Have you visited the museum? Let us know in the comments!
Via Twitter