Embarking on the Haunted London Pub Tour Walk is not just a journey, it's a thrilling adventure. This unique tour by Lantern Ghost Tours leads you through the shadowy corners of London's history, where each step uncovers mysteries dating back hundreds of years. It's an experience that intertwines the chilling, the curious, and the outright strange, painting a picture of London that few dare to explore.
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The journey begins with the haunting history of the Fleet River under Mill Lane, a silently flowing body whose quiet waters conceal its dark secrets. The use of chloroform in the halls of Parliament, a desperate attempt to mask the stench of pollution from the Fleet, sets a chilling tone that lingers throughout the tour.
London's old sewer system, still in use today, is as spooky as a horror story. Tales of a mutant pig and a Rat Queen add to the creepiness of exploring these underground tunnels. In London, they say you're always close to a rat, which makes these stories even scarier. The tour's recounting of the toshers, daring individuals who braved these sewers in search of lost valuables, enriches the journey with stories of audacity and survival. It's intriguing to learn that the phrase 'load of old tosh,' meaning nonsense, originates from these daring exploits, a testament to their adventures' daring and often unbelievable nature. The tale of Liz Thompson, the Rat Queen, intertwines historical fact with folklore, adding a layer of mystique to this enthralling adventure.
The story takes a ghastly turn with the account of Mary Glover and Elizabeth Jackson, whose accusations of witchcraft introduce an eerie edge of superstition and mystery to the journey. The attempt to defend them using theories of the 'wandering womb' (the belief that the uterus was blamed for the female's excessive emotion and hysteria, a common belief in the 16th and 17th centuries) and hysteria places us squarely amid historical beliefs and the fight against witchcraft accusations.
Middle Temple adds intrigue with its tales of a chest containing a skeleton – a play prop to some, but a potential relic of sinister actual human bones. The Royal Court of Justice has its own tale, where young boys, who for a penny, will take you where you need to go. But one guy couldn't go and is rumored to still haunt its corridors in search of reimbursement.
The story of Sweeney Todd, based on penny dreadfuls and made famous as the demon barber of Fleet Street, adds a touch of morbid fascination. Its roots can be traced to the vicinity of the pie shop on Bell Yard.
At the Old Bank of England and Dr. Johnson's House, we go beyond simple ghost stories and delve into personal tragedies and ghostly sightings that root back to the profound losses and loves of those who once lived there. The sight of a young lady, a tragic figure who took her own life, is occasionally seen at the window. She was told to be a young staff who fell pregnant and jumped from the window.
The final stop of the tour is the Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Pub. Its beautiful maze-like structure is a tribute to old London's resilience and enduring charm. When you go to the upstairs room, a ghostly waiter is said to be seen walking on the floor.
The Haunted London Pub Tour Walk isn't just about visiting haunted locations in London. It's a journey through the layers of history, mystique, and legend that make up this ancient city. The Haunted Pub Walk Tour offers an exciting (and creepy, if I must say!) journey uncovering the city's secrets and exploring its ghostly corners, from the eerie Fleet River to the mysterious Middle Temple and the haunted Old Bank of England and Dr. Johnson's House!
