MYSTERY PLAQUE
When giving a zoom talk to a West London Open Age group, one of the participants asked me if I
knew anything about a plaque in Kensington High Street, which I had to confess I didn’t.
We later exchanged emails and I found out that the plaque she was referring to is located next to an
upper storey window above a restaurant called Apadana at 351 Kensington High Street.
As you can see it says that Jack the Ripper, also known as Dr S.S.A Hasbro, surgeon and
restauranteur, lived there 1891-1899. Around the rim it says “Kensington & Chelsea”.
The blue plaque scheme is run by English Heritage and in the Royal Borough of Kensington and
Chelsea there are 185 blue plaques and this is not one of them. In fact, having trawled through them
all, none of them having “Kensington & Chelsea” written around the edge. They all have either
“English Heritage”, “Greater London Council”, “London County Council” or “LLC”.
Hasbro drew a blank when put into Ancestry, similarly the British Newspaper Archive was no help.
So, who put it up there, how long has it been there and who is/was Dr Hasbro?
Answers on a postcard.
