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These are the pubs that add a touch of humour to London’s bars: five of the creepiest hostels in the UK capital.
And I have bravely visited each one to find out which one is the most chilling.
London has dozens of supposedly haunted pubs, but this quintet of eerie inns have earned a reputation as particularly spooky hotbeds of paranormal activity.
I enter a world of ghost chambers, hanging nooses, stalking Jack the Ripper victims and hearing about a ghost who was said to wake chambermaids by ripping off their sheets.
Read on to find out my creepiness factor scores. Would YOU be brave enough to follow in my footsteps?
The Whitby – Wapping Prospect
The Prospect of Whitby (above) sits on the banks of the Thames in a Grade II listed building and has such a haunting history that it was once called The Devil’s Tavern.
The image shows a noose swinging at the back of The Prospect of Whitby in homage to the ‘hanging judge’.
He Whitby Perspective It is said to be London’s oldest riverside pub, dating back to 1520. Inside, there is an original flagstone floor, a pewter-topped bar and antique barrels and ship’s masts embedded in the ceiling. It sits on the banks of the Thames in a Grade II listed building and has such a haunting history that it was once called The Devil’s Tavern.
Thugs, pirates, smugglers and thieves all chose to drink here, as did Judge George Jeffreys, a 17th-century judge who is said to have sentenced hundreds of people to death by hanging.
Her ghost is rumoured to haunt the pub, along with several others, including Mary Frith, a notorious pickpocket, also known as Moll Cutpurse.
Now I discover that it is a haunt of American tourists who flock to it for its 16-pound steak and ale pie, and its atmosphere is more relaxing than sinister. However, there are reminders of its history everywhere, from ship models to information plaques. But perhaps its most eerie memento is the noose, which hangs out back as a tribute to the “hanging judge.”
Ghost factor: 2/5
The Viaduct Tavern – Holborn
The Viaduct Tavern is located opposite the Old Bailey and is built on the site of Newgate Prison. The pub retains many Victorian features including an ornate hammered copper roof, cast iron columns and an old ticketing station.
Pictured above are the “cells” located in the basement of the Viaduct Tavern. Inside the dark space is a hanging rope and rusty metal cages.
He Viaduct TavernOpposite the Old Bailey, it has spooky pub credentials in spades.
In the main bar area, the Victorian bar features cast iron columns, an ornate beaten copper ceiling and an old ticket booth.
So far, so good.
However, if you venture further down, things get really creepy very quickly.
The pub is built on the site of Newgate Prison and on the ground floor are former ‘cells’ where prisoners were said to have been kept.
Customers are free to explore these cells, and minutes after finishing my drink, I reluctantly follow the waitress up a steep, creaking staircase to a small brick room. Inside the dark, dank space is a hanging rope and rusty metal cages, scary enough to make me want to run up the stairs in seconds.
The staff are apparently afraid to go down alone, which is understandable as in 1996 the owner allegedly found himself locked in the basement after the door slammed shut for no apparent reason.
Ghost Factor – 4/5
The Rising Sun – Smithfield
Inside The Rising Sun in Smithfield there is a “dated wooden interior” and an “absence of TVs and music,” Jess writes, as well as a “perverted” ghost.
This pub, situated next to St Bartholomew’s Hospital, is believed to have been a playground for gangs of body snatchers in the early 19th century. These criminals are believed to have drugged and murdered customers before selling their bodies to the hospital for medical research.
Unsurprisingly, paranormal activity has been reported since then.
A notable case is that of the so-called “perverted” ghost. A former landlady recounted that a presence interrupted her while she was taking a shower: it pulled back the shower curtain and placed a cold hand on her back.
The maids who lived upstairs would wake up to find a spirit sitting at the end of their bed, slowly pulling the sheets off of them.
Whether it’s the mix of these horrible stories, the dated wooden interior or the eerie silence due to the absence of TVs and music, I find the atmosphere of this pub somewhat disturbing.
As I walk to the upstairs bathroom, I notice that it’s cold and the floor creaks. As I come back downstairs, a fire alarm suddenly sounds and the doors slowly close. A ghostly presence or pure coincidence? Either way, I’m out of the pub in a flash, shaken.
Visit risingsunfarringdon.co.uk.
Ghost Factor – 5/5
Morpeth Arms – Millbank
Beneath the Morpeth Arms are the remaining cells of the old Millbank Prison. The pub is supposedly haunted by a former prisoner who died underground.
A live feed from the Morpeth Arms cells is shown on a television next to the bar (pictured)
At first glance, this 19th-century tavern appears bright, spacious and not at all disturbing.
However, beneath the surface lie tunnels and cells left over from the past. old millbank prisonwhich opened in 1816 and closed in 1890.
The tunnels served as a “last walk” for prisoners before they were deported to Australia. One convict is said to have died in a tunnel beneath the pub while trying to escape and now haunts the pub, according to local legend.
There are reminders of the pub’s history everywhere, from framed photographs of criminals to a sign above the bar that reads “you can’t see some of our spirits”. There’s even a live feed of the cells, shown on a TV next to the bar.
Although the cells were not available for visits, the pub does receive customers on the ground floor “from time to time”.
Although rich in history, the upstairs area feels incredibly modern, and if it weren’t for the historical knick-knacks and creepy ghost camera footage, there’s a pretty bright and non-creepy atmosphere.
Visit www.morpetharms.com.
Scare factor: 1.5/5
The Ten Bells – Spitalfields
The Ten Bells (pictured) is famous for its connection to London’s most notorious serial killer, Jack the Ripper, and is said to be haunted by one of his victims.
Follow the hordes of tour groups to the East End pub The ten bellsfamous for its connection to London’s most notorious serial killer: Jack the Ripper.
The pub is associated with two of Jack the Ripper’s victims. Unconfirmed reports claim that Annie Chapman was drinking in the pub before she was murdered. Her mutilated body was found on nearby Hanbury Street.
Mary Kelly, the Ripper’s last victim, is linked to the pub, as the street outside is supposedly where she picked up her customers. Chapman’s ghost is rumoured to still haunt the pub, along with other macabre figures.
Staff are said to have encountered the ghost of a former owner named George Roberts, who was apparently murdered with an axe. There are also gruesome stories about the murder of a baby in one of the upstairs rooms, with psychic mediums apparently too terrified to enter.
Despite its entanglement with such a macabre past, the pub’s atmosphere is surprisingly lively. It’s a small but lively pub that attracts a young crowd. However, if there were fewer people, I’d be afraid to go alone.
Ghost factor: 3/5