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primed to take part in the plot. The Georgian terraced house belonged to the eponymous performer-designer-scholar from Escondido, California, who dedicated his life not only to restoring his house but also to raising the ghosts of a fictitious Jervis family that might have inhabited it over the course of two centuries. Dennis Severs (1944–99) created a replica of Georgian life, without electricity but with a butler in full 18th-century livery to light the candles and lay the fires—for the Jervises. The 10 rooms are shadowy set pieces of rose-laden Victorian wallpapers, Jacobean paneling, Georgian wing chairs, baroque carved ornaments, “Protestant” colors (upstairs), and “Catholic” shades (downstairs). TIP The “Silent Night” candlelight tours, each Monday, are the most theatrical and memorable way to “feel” the house; a magical experience relished by both Londoners and out-of-towners. | 18 Folgate St., East End | E1 6BX | 020/7247–4013 | www.dennissevershouse.co.uk | £8 for Sun., £5 for Mon. open house; £12 for candlelight Mon. evening | 1st and 3rd Sun. of month 2–5, 1st and 3rd Mon. noon–2. Call for hrs for “Silent Night” Mon., reservations essential | Liverpool St.

Jack the Ripper Walk.

Gigantic shadows, fires blazing on the corner, leering looks by the homeless, and the spirit of “Jack” himself: all may show up on one of London’s most unforgettable experiences, the “Jack the Ripper Walk” that tracks the very footsteps of the world’s most infamous serial killer. You’ll see the deserted squares (“Did you know that you’re standing on the very spot where his second victim was found?”), warehouse alleys, and the ground-floor flat—today occupied by an Indian restaurant—where he literally butchered poor Marie Kelly.

At No. 90 Whitechapel High Street once stood George Yard Buildings, where Jack the Ripper’s first victim, Martha Turner, was discovered in August 1888. A second murder occurred some weeks later, and Hanbury Street, behind a seedy lodging house at No. 29, is where Jack the Ripper left his third mutilated victim, “Dark” Annie Chapman. A double murder followed, and then, after a month’s lull, came the death on this street of Marie Kelly, the Ripper’s last victim and his most revolting murder of all. He had been able to work indoors this time, and Kelly, a young widow, was found strewn all over the room, charred remains of her clothing in the fire grate. Jack the Ripper’s identity never has been discovered, although theories abound, including, among others, the cover-up of a prominent member of the British aristocracy, the artist Walter Sickert, and Francis Tumblety, an American quack doctor.

Today, many outfitters offer walking tours of the Victorian slum streets that once Jack called his own: the most popular is run by Original London Walks (www.walks.com) and led by Donald Rumbelow, “the leading authority on Jack the Ripper”; it leaves every night from Tower Hill at 7:30 pm (Don only shows up a few nights a week).

Spitalfields Market.

There’s been a market here since the mid-17th century, but the current version is overflowing with crafts and design shops, stalls, bars, and restaurants (with a global palette, from tapas to Thai), and different-purpose markets every day of the week. Look out for work by young designers, whose one-off accessories make original gifts, and join the office workers for some pie and mash. TIP The nearer the weekend, the busier it all gets, culminating in the arts-and-crafts and green market on Sunday—the best day to go. | Commercial St. between Lamb and Brushfield Sts., East End | E1 6AA | 020/7247–8556 | www.visitspitalfields.com | Free | Daily 10–7; market stalls Thurs. and Fri, 10–4, Sun. 9–5 | Liverpool St.

V&A Museum of Childhood.

What more do you need to say? This is the world’s biggest toy collection. Actually, the East End outpost of the Victoria & Albert Museum—in fact, this entire iron, glass, and brown-brick building was transported here from South Kensington in 1875—its contents have grown into a must-see for children of all ages. One highlight (among many) is the large