Even though it’s still technically summer, in my heart it’s fall. Halloween décor is out in some stores and I’m counting the days until I can get my pumpkin spice coffee/cereal/desserts/lip balm/perfume/toothpaste/deodorant…etc. This scorching weather isn’t doing anything for me and it’s cooking me alive in my all black everything. So, for these reasons taking Haunted Traveler from hot Brazil to soggy haunted London.

The history, the dreary weather, the cemeteries and castles, the spotted dick; it’s no surprise that haunted London is high on the travel list and boy do they have a lot to offer. I can’t include all the locations in even London alone so I’m picking my favorites and thanks to We Go Places, I can include the cost of getting into some of them.

Grab your tea, get cozy, and let’s dig in.

The Tower of London

One of haunted London’s most famous locations both historically and by tourists, this was once a royal palace built in 1066. It was a place of imprisonment and execution, the most famous of which was the beheading of Anne Boleyn, queen and wife to Henry VIII.

Her headless ghost is seen wandering the halls, holding her severed head beneath her arm.  Other members of royalty imprisoned and murdered in the castle are seen walking the halls and grounds. The tower can be toured for £22 for adults and £11 for kids ages 5-15.

Whitechapel/ Ten Bells Pub

This is not a building so much as a district in haunted London. If it sounds familiar, this is the stomping ground of Jack the Ripper, a notorious and never-caught serial killer in 1888. There are after dark walking tours of London’s East End where you can learn the bloody history of the area and spook yourself a bit. Tours are £10 per person.

While you’re in East End, stop by Ten Bells where two of the Rippers victims, Annie Chapman and Mary Jane Kelly, have connections. Annie had a drink there right before she was murdered. It’s said she still visits the pub and Mary Jane used to peddle sex outside and her body was found up the street. Patrons also feel gusts of wind, hear ghostly laughing and experience other poltergeist activity.

50 Berkley Square

This house built by William Kent in the 1700’s was named the “Most Haunted House in London” in the 1900’s by Peter Underwood’s book Haunted London. A woman is claimed to have committed suicide in the home and shows herself to guests as a brown mist and a sailor staying there died as a result of tripping as he ran from the house. Others have been committed to an asylum shortly after being there. The house is now home to a Maggs Bros. bookseller headquarters.

The Enfield Poltergeist/ 284 Green St

This location was recently made famous again by The Conjuring 2. While I have my own opinions about that (The Warrens weren’t really involved. The investigation was done by Maurice Gross and Guy Lyon Playfair, who did NOT like the Warrens in the least. They showed up the last 3 days of a 180 day investigation and “took over” claiming they knew it was a demon even though the investigators thought otherwise.), the location is still creepy to say the least.

While speculation continues on what really happened here, the haunting of a young girl and poltergeist activity seen by police officers leave a compelling story.

The Spaniards Inn/ Hampstead Heath

Built in 1585, this lovely pub rests on the edge of Hampstead Heath, a park that was mentioned all the way back to the year 986. A visiting spot for the likes of Dick Turpin, Keats, Byron and Bram stoker, many a literary masterpiece has been written from this place. Keats wrote “Ode to a Nightingale” in the garden and allegedly Stoker based Dracula on a ghost story about the pub.

Patrons report being tugged at and seeing the possible ghost of Dick Turpin (the Highwayman) and the ghost of one of the owners that died in a duel. If you’re near Hampstead Heath, stop in for a pint. Hampstead Heath itself is home to its own ghost sightings and long history. People hear ghostly footsteps and see a sad, young girl as well as other ghostly activity.

Don’t go away, there’s more haunted London on the next page!

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