Have new historic documents at Sheffield museum revealed true identity of Jack the Ripper?

An insight into the identity of Jack the Ripper, an introduction to the science of facial reconstruction and a chance to become a ‘daring detective’ are on offer to Sheffield museum visitors this summer.

By Julia Armstrong

Published 29th Jun 2021, 09:36 BST

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The National Emergency Services Museum (NESM) in West Bar has announced a series of events for the remainder of 2021.

The programme kicks off on Friday, July 9 in an exclusive event when author Adam Wood sets out the case against the man that Donald Swanson - the Scotland Yard detective in charge of the Jack the Ripper investigation – named as the Whitechapel murderer.

He will reveal how the remarkable discovery of the ‘Swanson marginalia’, now on display at NESM, led to new insights into this officially unsolved case.

Unusually the collection features items relating to Swanson's personal as well as professional life.

Unusually the collection features items relating to Swanson's personal as well as professional life.

Other talks by leading experts will cover topics including the life of a Victorian bobby, the murky world of 19th-century crime, early forensics and the role of a forensic anthropologist.

The fascinating science of forensic anthropology also takes centre stage at two workshops, for adults and children, led by Dr Christopher Aris.

The sessions will let visitors of all ages learn what can be revealed by human bones, discover how forensic scientists can identify individuals using only the skull and get hands on with the skills of facial reconstruction.

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The museum’s summer CSI school, Daring Detectives, will let youngsters polish up their Victorian detective skills

The museum’s summer CSI school, Daring Detectives, will let youngsters polish up their Victorian detective skills

The museum’s summer CSI school, Daring Detectives allows budding investigators to learn about 19th-century crime scene investigation and try out methods like fingerprint analysis before attempting to crack a dastardly crime.

For the school holidays the museum’s ever-popular lifeboat tours are back. Visitors can jump aboard NESM’s 47-foot RNLI lifeboat, explore the cabin and find out what life was like for the crew of this lifesaving vessel.

Two sensory play sessions will allow the museum’s youngest visitors to learn more about the RNLI and the fire service through songs, stories and interactive fun.

Matt Wakefield, the museum’s CEO, said: "It’s been 16 months since we’ve been able to host any events at the museum – and a long 16 months at that! So it’s really exciting that we’re now able to announce this new series of events for 2021.

"We think there’s something for all our visitors to enjoy and we hope they’ll prove to be an entertaining, engaging and dynamic way to learn about the past.”

Full details and bookings: www.visitnesm.org.uk/whatson.

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