The Worst Street in London · Foreword by Peter Ackroyd

Halfway along Commercial Street in London, close to Spitalfields Market, is an anonymous service road, which was once Dorset Street, known as the worst street in the Capital. It was once notorious for the haunt of thieves, con-men, pimps, prostitutes and murderers, most notably Jack the Ripper. This publication chronicles the rise and fall of this remarkable street, from its promising beginnings in the 17th century as the centre of the silk weaving industry, through its gradual descent into iniquity, vice and violence to its final demise in the hands of the demolition men.