ADELPHI THEATRE

The theatre is rumoured to be haunted by the ghost of William Terris. Terris was a popular actor who was killed by a jealous rival. Terris was killed on December 16, 1897 during the run of the "Secret Service". Actor Richard Prince hated Terris and killed him as Terris was unlocking the Adelphi stage door. Terris died in the arms of his Mistress, Jessie Milward. As he was dying he whispered "Ill be back". The first reporting of the ghost of Terris was 1928. A stranger saw a male figure in Maiden Lane which he said was a ghost. He later identified the figure as Terris from a photograph. Poltergiest activity started to manifest in the dressing room once used by Milward. In 1956 the ghost of Terris was reported at the Covent Garden Underground. Later again there was a sighting in the Adelphi Theatre

ALDWYCH TUBE STATION

Aldwych station was open in 1907. The line was originally part of the Piccadilly line. With being so close to many West End theatres, it gained the unofficial title of the Theatre Line. Aldwych station itself was built on the site of an old London theatre - the Royal Strand. During the Second World War the line was closed and the tunnels used as an air raid shelter and to store various national treasures from the British Museum, including the Elgin Marbles. On 30th September 1994 the line was closed because the cost of refurbishing the lifts at the station could not be justified. However, the line lives on and is used by TV and film companies as a working set of an underground station. At street level much of the original station can now be seen. The ghost who haunts Aldwych station has been seen on the tracks at night by staff who clean the tunnels and stations. They believe it is the ghost of an actress coming back for another curtain call as Aldywch was built on the site of the old Royal Strand Theatre.

AMEN COURT

Amen Court is situated close to St Paul's Cathedral in London, backing on to the site of the old Newgate Prison and its graveyard. This site is now known as Dead Man's Walk. It is thought that many prisoners tried to escape by climbing over the wall into Amen court. Many people have witnessed a dark, shapeless figure crawling along the wall in the court, accompanied by the sound of clanking chains. It is thought that this figure may be the ghost of Jack Sheppard, a Newgate prisoner who escaped three times before being executed.

ANCHOR TAP

A rather elusive ghost called “Charlie” is said to haunt the Anchor Tap, where several licensees have reported objects mysteriously disappearing only to reappear at the oddest of places and the oddest of times. On one occasion a lady’s watch was found to be missing from it’s usual place on the dressing table in what was then the licensee’s bedroom and was missing for two months before being found in a laundry basket. The odd thing was that although the watch had been missing for such a long time it was still ticking and the time was accurate.

BANK OF ENGLAND

It is generally not well known that the Bank of England in Threadneedle Street has a ghost, an apparition that many people have seen wandering about the Bank garden. it is known as the Black Nun. The story of the haunting goes back to 1811 when Philip Whitehead, a former employee of the Bank was arrested for forging cheques and was condemed to death at the Old Bailey. This tragedy caused Whitehead's sister, Sarah, to lose her reason and for some 25 years, the rest of her life, she daily journeyed to the Bank, loitering there and looking for her brother. Some people think she gave the name The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street to the Bank. She died suddenly and was buried within the Bank premises, in the old churchyard which afterwards became the Bank garden. here her figure has been glimpsed on many occasions.

BANK TUBE STATION

The story says that workmen building Bank station awoke the spirit of the "Black Nun”. The "Nun's" brother Phillip Whitehead was a cashier and was executed in 1811 for forgery. The Nun - Sarah, wearing black waited for him outside the bank every evening for 40 years until she died. It is said that she still searches for him along the platforms.

50 BERKELEY SQUARE

50 Berkeley Square was the most famous of London's hauntings in Victorian times. The house in Berkeley Square contained at least one room in which the atmosphere is supernaturally charged, fatal to mind and body. A girl saw, heard and felt such horror in it that she went mad, and never recovered sanity enough to tell how or why. A gentleman, a disbeliever in ghosts, dared to sleep in it, and was found a corpse in the middle of the floor, after frantically ringing for help in vain. Rumour suggests other cases of the same kind, all ending in death" Mayfair Magazine, 10 May 1879. In 1840, there were reports of "supernatural" noises coming from the house, which was often empty and deserted for long periods. Jessie Middleton in her Grey Ghost Book wrote that a little Scots girl in a kilt haunted the house. The child was supposed to have been tortured to death in the top-most room of the house. Another of Jessie's stories suggests a girl called Adeline jumped from the top floor window to escape from her lecherous Uncle and since has haunted that room. Whatever it is, has been sufficiently awful to have caused death, in convulsions, of at least two fool hardy persons who have dared to sleep in that chamber. The story is told of one who was not to be deterred by the fate of an earlier victim. He was sceptical and practical as well. Before retiring to bed he gave some parting instructions to those who occupied the rest of the house. "If I ring once," said he, "take no notice, for I might be only nervous, without due course; but if I ring twice come to me. They bade him good night. When the clock struck twelve they heard a faint ring, followed by a tremendous shout. On opening the door they found the unfortunate man in a fit. He died without ever being able to reveal what it was. A shuddery pendant to this story is that which tells how, a dance being given next door, a lady leaned against the wall dividing the Haunted House from its neighbour, and distinctly felt an inexplicably dreadful shock." Two sailors were scared out of their wits when a "shapeless and horrible something" appeared. One of the sailors leapt to his death; the other arrested for his murder, claiming that a ghost had pushed his friend out of the window

BLACKWALL TUNNEL

Allegedly haunted by a girl who was killed in a motorcycle accident in the 1960’s – she is said to flag down motorcyclists asking for a lift to Leigh on Sea but vanishes from the back of the bike on the way there.. The specific address she’s said to give has been checked and is known to be identical to one linked to this 40 or so year old incident.

BLOOMS TOWN HOTEL

There have been accounts of a perfectly harmless ghost in one of the rooms. The ghost takes the form of a man, sitting in a chair and musing over something, completely oblivious to what goes on around him. Guests of the Hotel have included Karl Marx and George Bernard Shaw.

BOSTON MANOR HOUSE

Boston Manor House is haunted by the ghost of Lady Boston, who was murdered by her husband when he discovered her writing a secret love letter to Lord Fairfax. Lord Boston was said to have already known that the two were having a love affair and that whilst he was away, Lady Boston would leave the house from a door at the back and meet her lover at a cypress tree in the garden. After killing his wife, Lord Boston threw her body into the river but it is said that it was washed ashore onto the banks. Lord Boston then buried the body under the cypress tree. The skeleton of a woman was discovered by nuns of a Roman Catholic order, who occupied the house before the Second World War, and the remains were re-buried in an ivy-covered mound The ghost of Lady Boston has been seen several times, wandering from the rear of the house and walking towards the cypress tree, presumably once again keeping an appointment with her beloved Lord Fairfax. She is always seen to vanish when she reaches the tree.

BRITISH MUSEUM

Exhibit 22542 is an Egyptian mummy case, previous to its arrival at the museum the legend has it that it was the cause of 13 deaths. Apparently anybody who photographs the exhibit mysteriously dies and the photo will be blank.

BRUCE CASTLE

Bruce Castle is said to be haunted by screaming Costania, who threw herself to her death from the balcony here after being confined to one room by her jealous husband. Every 3rd November her screams are reportedly heard.

BUCKINGHAM PALACE

Haunted by Major John Gwynne, a private secretary to King Edward VII. Thinking that a pending divorce case would bring dishonour to the Royal Family, he shot himself whilst sat at his desk in his first floor office. It is there that his ghost can sometimes be seen.

CADOGAN HOTEL

Haunted by Lillie, the mistress of the Prince of Wales who later became Edward VII – she only materialises when the hotel is virtually empty – usually Christmas day each year.

CAESARS NIGHTCLUB

The club is said to be haunted by the last woman to be hanged in Britain - Ruth Ellis, who used to work there in the 1940's. Other spirits are said to roam the dressing rooms which were bricked up in the 1940's, then uncovered in the 1990's.

CHARLTON HOUSE

Charlton House is one of the few remaining Jacobean houses in London and is reputedly haunted by the amorous Sir William Longhorne. spite his two marriages and numerous attempts to produce an heir, Sir William died without ever managing to become a father. However, it seems that he has carried his obsession of fatherhood to the grave, for on a number of occasions he is thought to have tried to enter the bedrooms of female guests who take his fancy! e house is haunted by a servant girl who carries a young baby in her arms. There is also a mysterious chill that surrounds a spot on one of the landings

CHISWICK HOUSE

The building at times has a strong odour of food which seems to occupy the north wing of the house, which is where the old kitchens used to be before they were destroyed 100 years ago. It is believed by some that this is the cause of a mad cook who worked in the building

CLARENCE HOUSE

Somebody at work in the building packed up and left with haste after witnessing a series of banging and clattering followed by the manifestation of a misty figure

CLERKENWELL HOUSE OF DETENTION

Prisons on the site of the House of Detention have been dated back over 300 years - it soon became Londons biggest remand prison detaining as many as 10,000 prisoners a year. Since the House of Detention was re-opened in 1983 as a tourist and visitors attraction, strange phenomena has been reported there ever since its re-opening. An old lady has been seen frequently who seems to be searching for something, many people have heard the little girl whose "heart-rending" sobs reverberate from the inner depths of the jail, the sound of unidentified footsteps, and the subsequent sighting of a walking across the activity is so great, and of such a negative nature that mediums and "sensitives" can not spend too long in the atmosphere without suffering feelings of nausea and intense sadness.

CONNAUGHT TAVERN

Previously home to a partially insane woman who committed suicide, she has been said to have returned - frightening a member of staff to death as they entered one of the bedrooms..

CORONET THEATRE

The ghost of a middle-aged man has been seen in the theatre. His clothing is of the Edwardian period. Some have experienced some uneasiness walking up the stairs.

COVENT GARDEN TUBE STATION

Staff at Covent Garden station have reported seeing a tall man in a frock coat, tall hat and gloves. He paces the tunnels and has been seen regularly since the 1950's. The ghost is said to be an actor. William Terriss was fatally stabbed near the Adelphi Theatre in the Strand in December 1897. The story says he used to be a regular at the bakery that stood where the station was built.

DRURY LANE THEATRE ROYAL

The Theatre Royal stands on the oldest site in the world to have been continually used as a playhouse. The first theatre built on that spot was erected in 1663 and burnt in 1672. The next one, designed by Christopher Wren, opened in 1674. In a third theatre with a capacity of 3,611, was built until it burnt down in 1809. The theatre that stands on the site today was opened in 1812 with money raised in part by Lord Byron. The theatre’s most seen ghost is ‘The Man in Grey' dressed in long riding cloak, boots and three-cornered hat, said to haunt the Upper Circle, particularly during matinees. He is supposed to have been killed in a stage fight in the 18th Century. Workmen digging away at a wall as part of a refurbishment project found the skeleton of a man, dating from this period, with a dagger in his ribs, so perhaps the ghost story is well founded..

ELEPHANT & CASTLE TUBE STATION

At this station there have been reports of hearing the steps of an invisible runner, tapping noises and the sound of doors being thrown open.

FARRINGDON TUBE STATION

In 1758 a 13 year old trainee hat maker, Anne Naylor was murdered by her trainer and the trainer's daughter. Her cries can be heard echoing in the station – she has been given the name of “Screaming Spectre".

GEORGIAN HOUSE HOTEL

Since being extended it is now a much larger property. Several spirits are said to reside here, including those of children.

GREEN PARK

This parkland has seen a lot of history and much sadness in its time, but also holds happy memories for some. Elizabeth I is known to have strolled there when it was more like a meadow. In 1554 the Royalists fought Wyatts troops there, and there have been reports of murders, robberies and rapes happening in the grounds, also it was a favorite spot to hold duels. Sir Robert Peel died there when he was thrown from his horse. The park even on a bright summers day is said to have a stillness about it and mystery seems to surround it, and there is a sense of sadness. In the park there is a tree and nobody seems to like it or want to go near it it is known as the death tree, as it is known people have committed suicide there, near the tree voices have been heard and a shadowy figure has been seen.

GRENADIER

A Guards officer haunts this Belgravia pub, which was once the mess for the Duke of Wellington's officers: the duke's portrait hangs above the fireplace, and there are other paintings and prints in the pub showing guardsmen of many periods. The ghost in question, whose exploits are described in detail in newspaper cuttings in several languages framed on the walls, are as famous as the pub itself, painted a patriotic red, white and blue and standing in a mews that is sealed by a sentry box, bollards and the odd parked Rolls-Royce. The officer was caught cheating at cards in an upstairs room and was given a sound hiding, subsequently falling (or being pushed) downstairs to his death. An investigator of ghosts spoke in the 1950s to the then landlord, Roy Griggs, and his family, who all attested to seeing shapes, shadows and transient blobs, some of which looked like the figure of a man. Later investigators were told by a barman, Tom Westwood, that he was pulling a pint one day when the beer supply was suddenly cut off. He went down to the cellar, where he found the tap in the cask had been turned to cut off the beer. The barman was the only person in the pub at the time who had access to the cellar. Tom Westwood and the landlord's wife described seeing one day a 'wisp of smoke' in mid-air in the bar: the ashtrays had all been emptied, nothing was on fire, and there was nobody else in the bar. A few days later, a brewery inspector (a retired CID officer) was standing near the site of the wisp of smoke when he felt a sudden burning sensation on his wrist, on which there appeared a mark as if he had been burnt with a cigarette. Expert ghost and poltergeist investigators believe that what they call 'hot spots' are caused by a ghost attempting to materialise by means of ectoplasm

HAMPTON COURT PALACE

The palace, built in 1525 on the River Thames 10 miles west of central London, is a popular tourist attraction and some of the guides wear costumes of the Tudor period. The palace has been the scene of many dramatic royal events, and already is supposed to have a few ghosts. King Henry VIII's third wife, Jane Seymour, died there giving birth to a son, and her ghost is said to walk through one of the cobbled courtyards carrying a candle. Her son, Edward, had a nurse called Sibell Penn who was buried in the palace grounds in 1562. In 1829 her tomb was disturbed by building work, and around the same time an odd whirring noise began to be heard in the southwest wing of the palace. When workmen traced the strange sounds to a brick wall, they uncovered a small forgotten room containing an old spinning wheel, just like the one Penn used to use. Henry's fifth wife, Catherine Howard, condemned for adultery, was held at the palace under house arrest before her execution at the Tower of London. An 1897 book about the palace says she was reportedly seen, dressed in white and floating down one of the galleries uttering unearthly shrieks. Closed-circuit security cameras recently caught a figure opening the fire doors, dressed in period costume..this however was believed to be a hoax….

HANDELS HOUSE MUSEUM

Owners of George Frideric Handel's London home once staged an exorcism after two people said they saw a ghost here. The ghost has been seen twice in the bedroom of 25 Brook Street in central London. An employee, recalling his first sighting, said the air got very thick and he saw a shape, higher than him, like the imprint on the back of your retina when you close your eyes, having been looking at the sun for too long. The shape seemed to be that of a woman. Another staff member also witnessed it on a second occasion. Staff have also reported a strong smell of perfume in the bedroom.

HAYMARKET THEATRE

The ghost of Buckstone, a friend of Charles Dickens and manager of the Haymarket from 1853-1879, is still seen in the auditorium and dressing rooms, keeping an eye on his beloved Haymarket.

HIGHGATE TUBE STATION

In 1941 Highgate station was rebuilt to join an extension from the Northern Line. However, the project was abandoned and the cutting became overgrown. Nevertheless residents still claim to hear eerie sounds of trains going through the cutting.

HOLLAND HOUSE

The ghost of Lord Holland was often seen in 17th century Holland House. His daughter is reported to have seen a ghost of herself within a month of her death from smallpox and she is also said to haunt a room of Holland House. Holland House is now a Youth Hostel, one wing of the Hostel being the former Jacobean mansion.

HOXTON HALL

This Late Victorian Music Hall is reputedly haunted by the ghost of a Young Girl who fell to her death from the Gallery whilst watching her Mother sing on the Stage. There have been previous investigations at this music hall. The investigators experienced problems with their camcorders, together with being unable to explain why doors would open and close of their own accord. They also claim to have recorded unexplained images on film

HSBC BUILDING

Floor 25 of the HSBC offices at Canary Wharf in London’s docklands is said to be haunted by a crane driver who was originally involved in the construction, but died on this particular floor – his spirit is said to appear wearing green overalls.

IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM

The Britain At War Museum under London Bridge has a haunted room. It contains only an old war time jute box and a bar with a few glasses. A feeling of dread, or sometimes an intense feeling of sadness is said to be felt, and a feeling of being watched. Members of staff have seen a glimpse of a woman in there but she immediately disappears, and no one knows why she is there.

KENSINGTON PALACE

The Kensington Ghost is George II - his ghostly image is said to be seen looking at the weather vane of Kensington Palace, waiting for a message from Hanover. He's also been seen looking out of a palace window. Kensington Palace has no fewer then three ghosts in residence. Apart from King George II, a man wearing white breeches has been seen walking the courtyards. An aunt of Queen Victoria has been seen sitting at her old spinning wheel.

LANGHAM HOUSE HOTEL

Many of the ghostly sightings come from the time the hotel was occupied by the BBC. These include a grey haired Victorian gent dressed in a cloak and cravat with blank staring eyes. Another ghost haunts Room 333. It takes on the shape of a man wearing Victorian evening wear. In the same room a ghost in German military attire has also been seen.

LEATHER EXCHANGE

The pubs cellars were used in the World War 2 as a temporary morgue during and after a particularly bad spate of bombing, bar staff insist that the essence of those killed have not moved on..

LESNES ABBEY

Sightings at these ruins have included phantom horsemen a monk who was killed for being caught with a woman and Roesia of Dover who’s Father buried her heart in the grounds, for which she is still searching for.

LIVERPOOL ST STATION

Once the site of the first Hospital of the Star of Bethlehem, an asylum for the insane, the area was haunted by the screams of a woman named Griffiths who was buried without a coin she compulsively held on to when locked away here. She also had the habit of exciting other inmates by peering through their cell windows

LOLLARDS PRISON

This ancient jail dating from around the 1300’s is simply the water tower in Lambeth Palace and many prisoners have been incarcerated here over hundreds of years – some of their spirits are still believed to be around...

LONDON DUNGEON

It was inevitable that someone would see a ghost in the London Dungeon, a museum devoted to all that is horrifying, gruesome and sickening about history. In amongst the waxworks of tortured and torn bodies, in-between the real and replica equipment that once stripped flesh from bone, one visitor had to see something… However, the number of reported sightings, together with a catalogue of strange occurrences, has begun to discount the possibility of scared people seeing just the sort of image the Dungeon is supposed to create. There may actually be something there… Many of the London Dungeon’s past and present staff have experienced supernatural events. Doors open and close without any apparent human involvement and waxworks move about, while people feel the presence of others with them. Ghostly figures have also been seen, including one who is reputedly Jack the Ripper! Visitors have also been affected, claiming to have seen spectral people and felt massive feelings of dread and anxiety in certain locations. A group of ghost hunters, who were being filmed for a television program eventually shown on the UK’s Channel 4, once investigated the phenomena. After several inexplicable events, including the breakdown of vital equipment, they left convinced, not just that the London Dungeon was haunted, but that the spirit could be actively hostile

LONDON PALLADIUM

The ghost of a beautiful woman supposedly being 'Helen Campbell', a former resident of Argyll House, which once stood on this site is said to haunt the Royal Circle of the Palladium..

LYRIC THEATRE

It is said that the ghost of a worker killed during the Lyric's construction haunts the back stairwell. Sometimes at night you can hear him going up and down the stairs.

MARKET PORTER

People passing this pub late at night have reported seeing ghostly figures standing at the bar, just visible through the windows.

MIDLAND GRAND HOTEL

During the late 1880's it was documented that an employee of the hotel discovered that she was pregnant. Unable to cope with the consequences of having a child out of wedlock, she is said to have thrown herself down the public staircase of the east wing. The newspapers claimed there was no foul play, it was believed she committed suicide. Due to this occurrence, a handrail was installed to prevent any further 'accidents'. She is said to reappear in the hotel, making her presence known. Originally built on the site of a Roman settlement and also part of the cemetery of St Pancras Old Church, the hotel hosts a number of rumours and sightings of paranormal activity. In the basement of the hotel, visitors have reported visions of Roman soldiers marching through the darkness. One Security guard witnessed a drip of water running down his neck as he patrolled the basement, but when he wiped his neck, it was dry.

MORPETH ARMS

The pub is on the site of the old Millbank prison. About a hundred or so years ago, prisoners were kept in what is now the pub cellars. In particular, there was one convict who was to be sent to Australia. However, rather than make such a journey, he hanged himself, in what is now a beer cellar. If one goes there, one will find a distinctly eerie atmosphere of low ceilings, strange smells, and nooks and crannies where prisoners were kept.

OLD BAILEY

London's main criminal court. A person of unclear gender supposedly appears in the building during major trials. These appearances have been allegedly witnessed by judges, barristers and policemen.

OLD BULL & BUSH

When renovations took place a skeleton was found behind a bricked up wall. It is now the haunt of a Victorian gentleman. It is also interesting to note that medical impliments found bricked up with the body. This is only speculations but worth thinking about as Victorian London was in the grip of terror by Jack the Ripper. Did the unsuspecting doctor go out on a call only to be waylaid thinking he was the Ripper! Or is it that reason why the murders stopped so abruptly.