City of the Dead
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By Peter Watts
Posted: Tue Oct 25 2005
The ripper victim
Where is it? Mitre Square, EC3.
What’s the story? Once a year, a ghostly figure is seen lying on the floor, before it disappears.
Who is it? This is the site of the murder of Jack the Ripper’s fourth victim, Catherine Eddowes, whose mutilated body was discovered at 1.45am on September 30 1888. The ghost of the Ripper’s first victim, Mary Ann ‘Polly’ Nicholls, has been seen lying in the gutter near Whitechapel tube on Durward Street, and his second victim, Annie Chapman, is believed to haunt the site of her death, now a storeroom in the Old Truman Brewery.
How scary is it? Not as scary as getting mutilated by Jack the Ripper.
Chill factor 6
The cholera kid Feature continuesAdvertisement
Where is it? John Snow pub, Broadwick St, W1.
What’s the story? This Broadwick Street boozer is named after the good doctor who discovered that cholera was a water-borne disease after tracing an outbreak to a Soho water pump. The pub, owned by Yorkshire brewery Samuel Smith’s, is now haunted by a shadowy figure who sits in a dark corner, his vile face twisted into a terrible grimace and with ghastly red glowing eyes.
Who is it? Spookologists believe he is a victim of the cholera epidemic.
How scary is it? It could just be somebody who doesn’t like Sam Smiths’s distinctive but competitively priced bitter.
Chill factor 6
The black dog of Newgate
Where is it? Amen Court, EC4.
What’s the story? The sinister wall at the back of shadowy Amen Court used to belong to Newgate Prison, and shielded a passageway called Deadman’s Walk, down which condemned prisoners once walked. Along this wall a vile, shapeless, black form slithers and crawls, accompanied by a hideous smell and the sound of dragging footsteps, before dropping into Amen Court and disappearing.
Who is it? In the thirteenth century, a prisoner, believed to be a sorcerer, was killed and eaten by his fellow inmates. The spirit of this sorcerer returned in the form of a huge, slobbering black dog, who patrolled the prison, looking for revenge. The dog haunts the passage to this day.
How scary is it? More disturbing than ‘Scooby Doo’.
Chill factor 8
Black magic bus
Where is it? Cambridge Gardens, W11.
What’s the story? Late one night in 1934, a car driving along Cambridge Gardens suddenly veered off the road and crashed into a wall, apparently for no reason, killing the driver. Naturally, people have pointed to a ghostly influence.
Who is it? Not a who this time, but a what. Witnesses later said that a double-decker No 7 bus was known to regularly appear out of thin air at this very spot at 1.15am and drive down the middle of the road before disappearing. This ghost bus was last seen in 1990 and nobody seems to know what its gripe is.
How scary is it? Who doesn’t find night buses the stuff of nightmares?
Chill factor 5 (rising to 7, if on the back seats).
The supernatural chicken
Where is it? Pond Square, N6.
What’s the story? This quiet square in the middle of Highgate is haunted by the terrifying figure of a partly plucked chicken, which flaps around in circles squawking before disappearing into the ether. Who is it? This is no ordinary chicken; this is the chicken that killed Sir Francis Bacon. One freezing morning in 1626 Bacon decided it was time to test his theory of refrigeration as a means of preserving food. He bought a chicken on Highgate Hill, killed and plucked it, then stuffed its carcass with snow. The upshot of this little experiment, however, was that Bacon caught a severe chill, from which he died. The fowl won, and still appears to this day, proclaiming its victory over the dastardly chicken-plucker of Highgate Hill.
How scary is it? A ghost chicken! I think we’ve found our winner.
Chill factor 10
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3 comments
This site is great im 9 and I like scary things
i think that this website is true story and convinsing !!
well we are school students that are having a research own haunted things for social studies and by the way im having my say from New Zealand !!
well this website is great !! =D
the most haunted house in London !!
is the best !! =D