What was London like in 1888?

East-end London was poor, and West-end London was wealthy. But If you lived in East-End in 1888, that was when the jack the ripper murderings start. Historians think he did this in the East-End because there was thick smog (smoke and fog) and sometimes it got so bad you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Housing was disgusting. There was no sanitation and sewage ran openly through the overcrowded, maze-like streets. There was little work available for women and no social security for those women who were unemployed. Many were forced to become prostitutes to survive.

Hope this helped xx