London might feel like just another big city to most students, but beneath its busy streets and iconic landmarks lies a darker side. As one of the oldest cities in the world, London has been the home of many notorious crimes.
These include old crimes such as those of Jack the Ripper, and newer misdeeds such as those of the Kray twins. London has also been the centre of many cholera and typhoid outbreaks which killed hundreds. Let’s not even mention the thousands of skeletons in plague pits around the London Underground tunnels.
With this long and gruesome history, it’s not surprising that London is the site of many hauntings. In preparation for Halloween, here’s five of the most haunted places in London. Visit them if you dare…
The Tower of London
via Unsplash
One of London’s oldest landmarks with plenty of history, the Tower of London is often called England’s most haunted building.
Legend has it that Richard III murdered his nephews, Richard and Edward, right here in 1483. Because of that, the tower earned its nickname: The Bloody Tower. People say their ghosts still drift through the tower, lost and wandering aimlessly.
Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, and Lady Jane Grey join these ghostly rumours, as this was the place where they too spent their final days. They’re all said to haunt the place in search of revenge.
Then there’s the Tower’s most famous myth – the legend of the tower ravens. The story goes that if the six ravens living on it ever leave, the tower will fall.
With all its ghost stories and creepy legends, the Tower of London is definitely worth a visit – if you can stomach the £84 ticket fee.
Highgate Cemetery
via Unsplash
Highgate cemetery is one of London’s “magnificent seven” cemeteries – a group of sprawling Victorian graveyards built when the city’s inner cemeteries got too full. With its beautiful architecture and greenery, it became known as a “great garden of death.”
It’s the resting place for many famous (or infamous) figures: Karl Marx, Douglas Adams, Malcolm McLaren, and George Michael, to name a few. Karl Marx’s grave is the most visited in the cemetery, and has been vandalised so many times that there’s now CCTV installed right by it.
Around 170,000 people are buried in this cemetery, and some say the ghosts of those with unfinished business still linger among the tombs. A tour costs £10, and it’s open daily from 10am to 4pm. Accessible by the Northern Line, Highgate is worth a visit for its haunting history – or just for its stunning architecture.
Whitechapel
via Unsplash
Whitechapel is easily one of the most infamous areas in London. In 1888, it became Jack the Ripper’s hunting ground for the murders of Mary Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Kelly. Despite an extensive police search, Jack was never caught.
Over time, he has evolved into a mythic figure in British folklore and pop culture. Today, you can take a Jack the Ripper walking tour through Whitechapel, visiting the original murder sites and getting a grim glimpse of life in 1888. One of the most chilling spots is The Ten Bells pub, where several victims were known to drink, and where ghostly vibes are still very much alive.
Two-hour tours are running at the price of £17 per person until Halloween. The original Jack the Ripper tours have fantastic reviews and are definitely a great way to spend an evening.
The Clink Prison Museum
via Google Maps
Clink Prison dates back to 1144, making it one of England’s oldest prisons. Over the centuries, it mainly held so-called “religious heretics”, but it also held Royalists during the English Civil War, and Puritans before that.
The Clink was almost destroyed in 1381 during the Peasant’s Revolt, when rebels tried to burn it down. It was rebuilt, but eventually shut for good in 1780. After sitting empty for decades, it was turned into a museum – and a surprisingly popular one at that.
It doubles as a haunted house during Halloween, where visitors are greeted by creepy mannequins demonstrating medieval torture methods, unsettling sounds, and even the smells of an old prison. For those brave enough, there’s even a ghost hunt, complete with a Ouija board to contact the lingering spirits.
Tickets are £8, and it’s just a short walk away from London Bridge station.
50 Berkeley Square
via Google Maps
50 Berkeley Square is arguably London’s most haunted house. It dates back to the 1740s, when it was a grand, stately home. Ghost sightings here date back the Victorian era. Visitors have reported strange sounds, sudden cold spots, and sightings of a young girl in a kilt. According to legend, she died by suicide in the attic – the place where most of the activity happens.
The famous ghost that haunts the house is said to be Thomas Myers, who lived there from 1859 to the early 1870s. As the stories go, he used to hide during the day, and wander the halls at night with a candle. Some say that even after his death, Myers never really left…
Tucked away near Hyde Park, the house is closed to the public, but if you’re a ghost enthusiast it’s still worth a visit (or at least a cautious glance from the outside).
Featured image via Unsplash
