Theatres attract tales of ghosts and hauntings like few other types of building. The Theatre Royal in Drury Lane is no exception. The current Theatre Royal in Covent Garden dates to 1812. It’s actually the fourth incarnation on the site since 1663. You can even find 18th-century foundations below ground level. The third incarnation of […]
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Find the lost Temple of Mithras under London!
Do you want to see a Roman temple in London? Well, start off on Queen Victoria Street, with the Bank of England behind you. Head south down Walbrook towards Cannon Street. You’ll pass Starbucks on your left, and the Bloomberg building on your right. But look closer at the shining office block as you pass. […]
Who was Spring-heeled Jack, the Victorian scourge of London?
Spring-heeled Jack sits in the centre of a weird Venn diagram. It features urban legends, ‘penny dreadful’ serial fiction, theatre plays, and modern folklore. The last sightings of him were in the early years of the 20th century. Yet Jack still makes appearances in contemporary popular culture, including: True, in these later adaptations, he’s part […]
Who is the Phantom Hitchhiker that haunts the Blackwall Tunnel?
Many stretches of lonely road feature a tale or two about a phantom hitchhiker. They’re always eerily similar in structure. A driver stops to pick up a stranger, often a young woman. During the journey, she vanishes from the back of the car. Sometimes, the driver goes to the address she gave him to investigate. Did […]
The Foundling, a Short Creepy Tale
I rise at 5am, as I do every day, and I make my rounds of the dormitories. They are empty now, and it has been many years since children laid their heads there. It never hurts to inspect them nonetheless. Glass cases now occupy the rooms, detailing the daily routines of the children. Printed text […]
Did the Queen Rat of London really live in the sewers?
If you’ve read China Miéville’s King Rat, then you’ll know dark things can stir beneath London. But perhaps it’s not a King Rat. Perhaps it’s a Queen Rat. Only those who venture into the deep, dark places would encounter such a creature. Let me introduce you to the toshers. What does a tosher do? When the River […]
