Amanda PhillipsLondon is a city that has survived mad monarchs, unidentified serial killers, plagues, and a colossal fire – so it’s no surprise that a number of vengeful spirits haunt its streets. Whether it is eerie mansions, spooky cemeteries or creepy museums hosted in historical buildings, ghost hunters will find plenty of macabre sites to test their fear levels. Here are just 10 of the best.
1. Tower of London
Not only is the Tower of London a prominent structure in London, it is also the home of several royal ghosts. Henry VIII had two of his wives executed there. While the young princes Edward V and Richard of York, Arabella Stuart and the famed White Lady are all believed to have met their end there (with their souls trapped forevermore).
2. Hampton Court Palace
Catherine Howard – one of the wives Henry VIII executed at the Tower of London – is also said to haunt Hampton Court Palace. It is here that Henry put her under house arrest but she escaped from her guards and ran down the gallery, only to be dragged back to her room screaming. Many visitors have reportedly heard her screams.
3. Britain’s most haunted theatre
While theatres appear to be a natural habitat for ghosts (there’s barely a theatre in Britain that doesn’t claim to have a resident spook) the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane has claimed more than its fair share. The theatre we know now was built in 1812, but it’s actually the fourth building to have been constructed on the site with underground foundations dating back to the 18th Century.
It’s most famous resident is The Man in Grey. Legend says that the Man in Grey is the ghost of a knife-stabbed man whose skeletal remains were found within a walled-up side passage in 1848. He is also said to be dressed as a nobleman of the late 18th century: powdered hair beneath a tricorne hat, a dress jacket and cloak or cape, riding boots and a sword. He’s most commonly found haunting the upper circle of the audience seats.
4. London Dungeon
When you’re done exploring London’s most haunted sites, it’s time for some live historical re-enactments. This Halloween the London Dungeon are switching up their legendary Jack the Ripper experience and exploring the theory that the infamous East End Killer was, in fact, a woman!
Admission to The London Dungeon is included in Merlin’s Magical London Ticket, which includes entry to Madame Tussauds London, Coca-Cola London Eye, SEA Life London Aquarium, and Dreamwork’s Tours Shrek’s Adventure! Price is £55 per adult & £40 per child (3-15yrs). You can order it through us when you book your London break.
5. Old Operating Theatre Museum
Operating theatres are creepy at the best of times. Let alone an operating theatre that was in use before surgical anaesthetic was invented in 1846. It probably comes as little surprise that many of the patients died and are said to haunt the building. You’ll find this operating room on the top floor of St Thomas Church, not far from London Bridge Underground Station.
6. St Bartholomew’s Hospital Museum
If hospital history really fascinates you, here’s another gruesome step back in time for you. Barts is the oldest hospital in Britain (dating back to 1123), and its left wing has been turned into a museum with displays of old surgical equipment, marble heads and dusty documents (including one signed by Henry VIII). You’ll it not far from the museum of London.
7. Highgate Cemetery
This expansive graveyard opened in 1839 and eventually became the final resting spot of 170,000 people, including Karl Marx, Charles Dickens and Douglas Adams. There’s been a few ghostly sightings over the years, including The Highgate Vampire who is said to be 7 foot tall, dark, have piercing eyes and wear a long black coat and top hat.
8. Greenwich Foot Tunnel
While the Greenwich Tunnel doesn’t officially have any resident ghosts – it’s still a creepy place. Constructed between 1899 and 1902, it runs under the Thames River for 370 metres between Greenwich to the Isle of Dogs – and even the lightest footstep produces strong echoes. Not somewhere you’d want to walk by yourself.
9. Bleeding Heart Yard
Legend says the courtyard’s name memorialises the murder of Lady Elizabeth Hatton, whose family owned the area around Hatton Garden. The story says, that her body was found here on 27 January 1926, “torn limb for limb, but her heart still pumping blood.” There’s also a nearby French restaurant called The Bleeding Heart.
10. Liverpool Street Station
While the station itself might look modern, in 2015 a suspected plague pit was uncovered underneath. Also, back in the year 2000, a Line Controller who was watching CCTV footage noticed a man dressed in white overalls standing on the East-Bound Central Line platform – despite the fact that it was 2:00am and the station was closed! The Station Supervisor went to the platform to investigate and once there, found no trace of the man whatsoever. He had simply vanished into thin air, never to be seen again.
