Essex Wharf was the name given to the building on the north side of Buck’s Row (now Durward Street). The building is opposite to where the body of Mary Ann Nichols (“Polly”), who is believed to be the first victim of Jack the Ripper, was found on 31 August 1888. Essex Wharf was a three-story brick building that was probably erected around the 1870s and was used as offices. The building was eventually abandoned and later demolished in 1990.