A Walk around Haunted London

'a kind of horn or funnel...thrust into his fundament through which a red hot spit was run up his bowels'

History of:

The site of a church built for Franciscan Friars in the 13th Century. It was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 but rebuilt by Christopher Wren. It was finally bombed in World War II and left in ruins. It is an ancient burial ground where Queen Isabella is buried with the heart of Edward II placed upon her breast.

The rose garden mimics the layout of the inside of the Church and pews.

Resident Ghosts

Queen Isabella:
('She-Wolf of France') Arranged to have her husband murdered. Her son, King Edward III kept her imprisoned and in solitary confinement until her death in 1384.

Lady Alice Hungerford:
Executed in 1523 for murdering her husband by poison. She was boiled alive in 1523. Laid to rest at Greyfriars.

Elizabeth Barton:
(The 'Nun of Kent') Domestic servant who was executed in 1534 after protesting against King Henry VIII's proposed divorce of his first wife, so that he could marry Anne Boleyn.

Various monk-like figures and small dogs are seen and the screams of Edward II on the anniversary of his death are heard.

The two female ghosts met one night in Victorian times and fought over territory and jealousy of beauty.

History of:

Behind the wall at the end of Amen Court used to lie the Newgate Prison. The passageway was named the Dead Man's Walk. Along here, hundreds of condemned prisoners walked to be tried and executed. They were later buried underneath the stones of the Dead Man's Walk.

Residents Ghosts

Black Dog of Newgate:
Dates back to 1216-72 (the time of the great famine). Many inmates resorted to cannibalism. A young man convicted of sorcery was one such victim. He returned after death in the form of a black dog to hunt down his murderers. It appeared on the eve of executions and still appears today on dark nights. A nauseous stench follows its appearance.

Jack Sheppard:
The legendary 18th century robber and highwayman. His ghost can often be seen jumping down from the wall making one of his famous great escapes.

Amelia Dyer:
The 'Reading Baby Farmer'. Murdered babies whom she had been paid to look after by drowning them in rivers. On her way to be executed in 1896, she told the Chief Warder that she would meet him again one day. Years later the Warder saw an apparition of her face. It soon disappeared leaving a handkerchief in its place on the flagstones of the passageway.

Many sounds of heavy, dragging footsteps (the condemned on their way to their deaths?) can still be heard behind the wall at the end of Amen Court.

History of:

The large space in front of and around St Paul's was once used for executions.

1605:
Conspirators of the Gunpowder Plot were hung, drawn and quartered. Their heads were then placed on spikes.

The Kitchener Chapel:
Inside St Paul's lies The Kitchener Chapel which is haunted by 'Whistler', an elderly clergyman. He whistles a sad and off-key tune before disappearing into the side of a wall to the right of the Chapel Gates.

Interesting Facts:
Is this figure the holy ghost?

History of:

The Newgate Prison (from 12th century to 1902) used to stand on the site of the Criminal Court and as a consequence the area outside of the court is one of the most haunted areas in London.

The conditions inside the prison included:
Prisoners tortured by other prisoners and warders,
Prisoners 'pressed' if did not enter a plea or did not confess,
Hunger,
Catholic monks chained up and left to starve to death,
Cramped, dark and unsanitary conditions,
Contaminated water,
Lack of ventilation,
Outbreaks of disease.

Executions often took place outside the prison and many spectators were trampled to death during riots.

Resident Ghosts

Henry Fauntleroy: Dressed in black coat with powdered hair.

Ghostly apparitions and strange unexplained noises have also been heard outside the building usually at night.

History of:

Built in 1869 and named after the Holborn Viaduct.

A part of the Giltspur Street Compter used to stand on this site and debtors, vagrants and others were kept here in huge cells.

This pub is widely reported to have resident ghosts where glasses get broken, drinks disappear or are moved and a ghost haunts the ladies toilets.

More ghosts are thought to be downstairs in the cellars.

Resident Ghosts

'Fred':
Landlords and staff at the Viaduct Tavern have named this poltergeist Fred although no one knows for sure who he is. Strange phenomena have occurred especially in the cellar which includes a sudden drop in temperature and an unusual feeling of sadness. One landlord found himself locked in the cellar one morning when all the lights went out. No cause could be found. Apparently the door had been locked from the inside but something had prevented the man from releasing the door and escaping.

A murdered prostitute:
She haunts the ladies toilets playing around with the lights which fade or flicker off and on rapidly.

History of:

Built in 1761.

It was used to keep guard over the church's graveyard which extended across the road.

Many attempts to steal bodies from this graveyard occurred and the watchman was employed to prevent this from happening.

Corpses of executed murderers were often used for teaching and medical dissection but an increase in doctors and surgeons meant the demand for corpses were a lot higher.

The bodies would then be taken to an inn on the opposite side.

A doctor from the nearby hospital would the pay for the body where it would be used for medical science.

Many body snatchers eventually, themselves, turned to murder as the demand for bodies increased and eventually the practice of body snatching died out.

Cock Lane was one of the few places that was legal for prostitutes to work. It was also thought of as a breeding place for cocks for the purpose of cock-fighting.

'Scratching Fanny' is the resident ghost here and was believed to be housed at No 33. As this house has now been rebuilt it is difficult to determine just where No 33 would be situated.

In 1762 this house was owned by William Parsons who then rented his house out to a Mr William Kent. Mr Kent moved into the house with his girlfriend, Miss Fanny who was the sister of Mr Kent's recently deceased wife.

When Mr Kent went away for a few days, Miss Fanny thought she heard scratchings and banging noises in the night. She immediately thought that the noises were coming from her dead sister, upset about her relationship with her husband. She believed that the noises were also a warning that she herself would die.

Shortly after, Mr Kent and Miss Fanny moved away from Cock Lane but Miss Fanny sadly died of Smallpox. After her death, the noises soon started up again at No.33.

The Parsons family believed that the ghost of Miss Fanny was communicating with Elizabeth(Mr Parson's young daughter), telling her that Miss Fanny had not died of smallpox but had been poisoned with arsenic by Mr Kent.

A court case concluded that the 'ghost' was a hoax although many still believe that it was a poltergeist.

This church was originally a monastery in 1123. It was built by Rahere. In 1535-40 it became a parish church for Smithfield.

The left side of the grounds outside the church (see below) is raised up above ground level. Underneath, lie hundreds of bodies of the victims of the plague.

Over the years many ghostly experiences have been reported including the mysterious organist which has never been seen.

Many ghosts have been seen inside the church. One such ghost is that of a black-robed figure often accompanied by ghostly footsteps.

It is thought to be the ghost of Rahere whose tomb lies to the left of the altar as you face it.

His ghost is thought to have haunted the church since the 19th Century when his tomb was opened and one of his sandals was taken and never replaced.

Other ghosts which have been seen are a ghostly monk who is silent and a mysterious black apparition which has frightened visitors as they enter the church...

Golden Boy Statue:
The Statue of the Golden Boy marks the traditional spot (Pie Corner) where the Great Fire of London (1666) is said to have ended. It originated in Pudding Lane. Many Londoners believed the Fire of London was a punishment for greed.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre:
Originally founded in 1137. It was rebuilt in 1450 but damaged in the Great Fire of London. The bells of the church are the Bells of Old Bailey as mentioned in the old nursery rhyme, Oranges and Lemons.

St Bartholomew's Hospital:
'Barts' is London's oldest hospital. It was founded in 1123 by Rahere. Two spirits of dead nurses reside in this hospital. One of these was murdered in the hospital lifts and has been known to take passengers down to the basement in the early morning. The other is named, 'Grey Lady of Grace Ward' and often scares the busy nurses. Rahere often also haunts the hospital.

Memorial to Sir William Wallace:
Sir William Wallace (August 1305) was hung, drawn and quartered and beheaded (if that all wasn't enough!) near to this spot. Protestant martyrs were also burned at the stake near to this spot which included John Rogers.

Instructions on how to get to these places will be added shortly!

Smithfield was used as a horse market in the Middle Ages.

Many other events took place here including jousting, sports, fairs and the selling of livestock for slaughter. It's easy to why Smithfield has a reputation for being bloody! Until 1855, cattle were sold and then slaughtered in Smithfield which resulted in the streets surrounding the market becoming awash with blood and entrails.

Before 1388 Smithfield was also used as an execution venue for the public. One example of an execution that took place here was that of Richard Rose who was boiled alive in a huge cauldron of water. His death took over 2 hours. Witches and heretics were also burnt or roasted alive here.

Visitors to Smithfield have reported hearing, at night, screams of the victims and the smell of burning flesh.

Smithfield no longer deals with live animals. However, its resident ghost would often interfere with large joints of meat.