Haunted London

Bill Dudley

Sadly, London fog no longer exists to assist in creating the proper atmosphere. (Or maybe happily, since the "fog" was little more than pollution from cars and smokestacks.) Cleaner air notwithstanding, those Halloween travelers bent on the macabre will find ample opportunity throughout London to get their neck hairs bristling.

There is no better place to start than one of the city's greatest tourist attractions, Westminster Abbey. Founded by Edward the Confessor in the 11th century-yet not fully completed until 1740-the Abbey is home to more than one apparition. There have been several sightings in the small garden cloisters of the "Phantom Monk." He usually makes his appearances in the late afternoon/early evening in Autumn, and has been described as a tall man with piercing eyes. The ground staff did not know who he was, but they suspect that he has been around since the Abbey truly functioned as such.

Another specter far more recent is that of a ghostly soldier in the church nave. He is dressed in a World War I khaki uniform and is said to look despondent. Cleaning staff refer to him as the "Unknown Soldier," although none had actually seen him. Better known to history buffs is the specter that haunts Red Lion Square, located near Gray's Inn Road. It is none other than Oliver Cromwell, who ordered the execution of Charles I after winning the civil war in 1649. In 1660, two years after Cromwell's death, Charles II regained the throne and had Oliver's body exhumed and then hanged as a traitor. After being decapitated, the head was spiked on Westminster Hall; the body thrown into a common grave pit for paupers. The ghost has been angry about it ever since.

Every Brit we encountered seemed to know of a supposedly haunted location worthy of a visit. "If anywhere near Buckingham Palace," instructed a vendor hawking jellied eel, "stroll down a quiet idyllic street known as Birdcage Walk. As you head towards Parliament Square, you'll notice the Wellington Barracks for the Royal Horseguards. It was here, in the 1780's, that a Guardsman killed his wife and then buried her body nearby in St. James Park. Legend has it that on nights when there is little traffic around, she makes a journey from the Barracks to St. James and back again." (For a truly horrific experience, buy and eat jellied eel from a street vendor. It will terrify your digestive system more acutely than any ghost ever could.)

If real-life crime is not your thing, there is a plethora of more pleasant other-worldly sites to grab your attention. Some apparitions are said to appear mainly to show their approval. The most famous is the ghost of the Drury Lane Theatre. The Drury Lane is a large, opulent theatre known for housing popular West End musicals. It's also known for housing the "Man in Gray," a ghost who periodically attends performances only during the day and only during long successful runs. The Theatre Royal Haymarket also sports a ghostly tenant. The staff states that he goes by the name of John Buckstone, a highly successful actor-manager from the 19th century who leased the theatre for several years, promoting a number of farces that packed the house. Buckstone had such a good time there when alive that he refused to let an inconvenience like death keep him away. The Adelphi Theatre, on the Strand, also boasts of a ghost-in-residence, but because of much darker circumstances. Ushers relate that his identity is that of Victorian matinee idol William Terriss, who was brutally murdered by an envious fellow actor outside the stage door in the late-19th century.

A much more mysterious apparition haunts a cul-de-sac near the Old Bailey. Known as "Amen Corner," the site is deemed so evil that few go near it. There is not a figure that appears there, per se, but an eerie, hideous black "thing" that slithers around, eliciting a chill and feeling of menace that comes over those who go near. The spot once served as an unmarked gravesite for executed criminals. To this day people are warned not to go near after sundown. (Supposedly, more than one person has died who tested the site; it is considered a cursed corner of the Old City.)

If a place is to be considered damned based on the number of persons who died there unjustly, then the Tower of London would have to be the most cursed piece of real estate on Earth. Beefeater Guards-who also double as Tower tour guides-claim there are countless ghosts within those ramparts. Among the more famous are: Lady Jane Grey, beheaded in 1554, when her father-in-law, the Duke of Northumberland, claimed she should be Queen; Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn, who, along with Lady Jane, still haunt the Queen's House; Guy Fawkes, who tried to blow up Parliament in 1605 and was tortured in the Tower (guards claim his screams can still be heard); and, the most gruesome, Margaret Pole, the Countess of Salisbury, executed for no reason other than that she was a Plantagenet and Henry VIII was a Tudor (she declared her innocence at the chopping block and refused to kneel down for the executioner. Hence, it took the axe-man several very bloody and messy attempts before the Countess finally died. To this day, her blood-curdling screams are supposedly heard at night.)

Finally, there is no better place to conclude a tour of the truly macabre than by visiting the old Whitechapel neighborhood. Located to the immediate east of "The City" (that square-mile of London where all stock exchanges and major banking transactions take place), Whitechapel is notorious as the setting of the Ripper murders in the Summer/Autumn of 1888. Perhaps it's because Jack the Ripper is the world's first-known serial killer. Or perhaps it's because the murders were never officially solved and there have long been suspicions that the murderer was himself a member of the upper crust-so high up to be in close contact with the royal family. Whatever the reason, the Whitechapel murders have spun an entire interest that to this day has not died down. Many even believe that solving this murder mystery would kill off a lucrative tourist trade.

Understand that even today Whitechapel is considered a dangerous neighborhood; travelers are warned to not go there alone at night. Guides will be happy to walk you along the trail, showing you, in chronological order, where each of the murders took place. One or two of the buildings or doorways instrumental to the case are still standing. Most of the neighborhood was destroyed by the Luftwaffe in 1940. There is a spot on Durward Street where the Ripper's first victim, Ann Marie Nicholls, was brutally murdered. Legend has it that on some nights her ghost appears huddled in the gutter where her dead body was discovered. Though it sounds hokey, being in a place associated with such an evil deed gives visitors an eerie chill and sense of unease. It helps that Whitechapel is still so dark and murky, with bleak and twisting alleyways and poorly lit passages all around.

Not to be missed on any visit to the area is the Ten Bells pub, so named in honor of the ten bells comprising the carillon of the large, white chapel that gives the neighborhood its name. It was here, in the Ten Bells, that all five (some say seven) of the young "ladies" slaughtered by Jack often hung out looking for their next John. It is suggested that Jack himself may have hung out here as well, deciding upon his next victim. The Ten Bells is a dark, gloomy place. It's doubtful the establishment has been renovated-or cleaned often-since the late-19th century; however, you would be hard-pressed to find another pub in London with more atmosphere. A sign on the back wall gives the name of each victim and the date of her murder. One particular name, Mary Kelly, is salient, for it is believed that she also worked as a nanny for a child born to Queen Victoria's grandson, Albert. The Prince's name often comes up as a prime suspect in the murders, although it has clearly been established he was away in Scotland when at least one of the murders took place.

So who was Jack the Ripper? Rumors abound, and if your guide was like ours, they will engage the group in a lively discussion. The brutal, precise methods used by the killer suggest someone well-connected, with a working knowledge of anatomy and biology. This has often led to speculation that Queen Victoria's primary physician was the real culprit; this was also the conclusion reached by two films on the subject. Yet, as the guide reminded us, "it is important to remember that although we today have diminished the killings to a parlor guessing game, in 1888 brutality of this nature was unfathomable."

The landlord's agent who came around to collect Mary Kelly's rent and discovered her savagely butchered body was so shocked by what he saw that he suffered a nervous breakdown and died years later in a mental institution, never able to recover. With that in mind, the idea of actually following the Ripper's footsteps can be bone-chilling. One interesting note is that the Ripper case had been "officially closed." This only happens when a case is considered solved.

Our guide was arguably correct in her belief that 21st-century humankind has developed a passive indifference to violence and death. For example, the crypt at Saint Martins in the Fields has been converted to a restaurant where guests dine atop various tombstones. Still, these sites still thrive and disturb. For, like murder, the macabre sights of England will out. And so will the tourists in astounding numbers.

If You Go

Westminster Abbey: At Broad Sanctuary. Tel: (011)(44)(20) 7222-7110; http://www.westminster-abbey.org. Underground: District or Circle lines to St. James Park. Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9:30am to 4:45pm, Wednesday 9:30am to 7pm, and Saturday 9:30am to 2:45pm. Admission: 6 pounds for adults, 3 pounds for children 11-16. The Abbey is open to worshippers, but closed to sightseers, on Sunday.

Drury Lane Theater: On Catherine Street. Tel: (011)(44)(20) 836-8108. Underground: Piccadilly line to Covent Garden.

Theatre Royal Haymarket: On Haymarket Street. Tel: (011)(44)(20) 930-9832. Underground: Piccadilly or Bakerloo lines to Piccadilly Circus; or the Northern or Jubilee lines to Charing Cross.

Adelphi Theatre: On the Strand. Tel: (011)(44)(20) 836-7611. Underground: Charing Cross (NOTE: the box offices to all three theatres are open from 10am to 8pm when there are shows playing in that venue).

Tower of London: At Tower Hill. Tel: (011)(44)(20) 7709-0765; http://www.hrp.org.uk.

Underground: District or Circle lines to Tower Hill. Hours: Monday to Saturday 9am to 6pm, and Sunday 10m to 6pm. Admission: pounds 11.30 (adults) and pounds 7.50 (children).

Whitechapel (Jack The Ripper Murders): Frames Richards and Golden Tours: 4 Fountain Square, 123-151 Buckingham Palace Road, tel: (011)(44)(20) 7233- 7030; http://www.goldentours.co.uk (tours on both lines leave four times per week and charge 18 pounds for adults). Evan Evans Tours, 258 Vauxhall Bridge Road, tel: (011)(44)(20) 7950-1777; http://www.evanevans.co.uk (tours also leave from here four times per week and charge 17 pounds admission). It should be noted that on all three tours of Whitechapel, children under 14 years are either not allowed or not recommended to take part.

Bill Dudley lives in Staten Island, New York. His favorite holiday is Halloween.