Ghosts in London
By: Andie Rose Roberts
London is an ancient city, which has been around since Greek and Roman times. There have been many wars and plagues in its time and countless Brits have passed away on its soil, thus the culture of London has grown around the careful balance of life, death, and the not-so-dead. The belief in ghosts is common in all of England and as a visitor to this community, you should be properly prepared to encounter these trapped souls in person.
If you go to any cemetery in London at the witching hour (midnight), you will see manifestations of deceased souls roaming and socializing with their neighbors. Depending on how sensitive you are to the spirit realm, you can interact with these spirits as well. Some basic manners to keep in mind while interacting with the deceased include:
Some ghosts tend to haunt the place they died rather than their burial sites. In these cases, you get house hauntings. From college dorms to Buckingham Palace, London has one of the largest house-haunting populations in the country.
Buckingham Palace has 187 spirits haunting its premises. The ghost of King Edward VII, who passed in 1910, has tea with the current Queen Elizabeth on a weekly basis to chat about the monarchy and family gossip. There are several servants who have died in bizarre accidents throughout the years. They dawdle and play pranks on the monarchy and current servants of the palace. If you stand by the gates late enough after sunset, you can sometimes see the ghost of a previous Queen’s Life Guard soldier standing stock still in position, just as he used to do before he tripped one day and impaled himself on his weapon.
The Odeon at Leicester Square has its very own community ghost, which is rare for such a new building. Marius Welch stands guard in the projector room. He was a janitor who dreamt of becoming a movie star, but an unfortunate incident while cleaning up after the premier of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire crushed his dreams, and he remains in the theater moping and watching films for eternity.
If you find yourself at 35 Gower Street while visiting London and happen to be up past 2:00 a.m., you may have the chance to meet the local house ghost, Barry the Bagpiper, as he roams the halls with his bagpipes slung over his shoulder. Don’t be afraid to talk to Barry; he is a docile ghost and loves connecting with the new house residents. Sometimes when Barry gets lonely he actually starts to play the bagpipes. His favorite song to play is “Scotland the Brave,” and you can hear it at all hours of the day being played throughout the house. Other favorites are “Amazing Grace” and “Bad Romance,” even though Lady Gaga was well after his time.
By: Andie Rose Roberts
London is an ancient city, which has been around since Greek and Roman times. There have been many wars and plagues in its time and countless Brits have passed away on its soil, thus the culture of London has grown around the careful balance of life, death, and the not-so-dead. The belief in ghosts is common in all of England and as a visitor to this community, you should be properly prepared to encounter these trapped souls in person.
If you go to any cemetery in London at the witching hour (midnight), you will see manifestations of deceased souls roaming and socializing with their neighbors. Depending on how sensitive you are to the spirit realm, you can interact with these spirits as well. Some basic manners to keep in mind while interacting with the deceased include:
- Don’t ask how they died. Ask about their lives before death and if they feel comfortable enough, they will tell you of their passing.
- Don’t point out nasty gashes our wounds. Common courtesy.
- Always be sure to look at them and not through them. They find this especially rude as some spirits can be more translucent than others depending on their mood, the weather, and how long they have been dead.
- Always bow or curtsy when introducing yourself since you are unable to shake their hand.
- When ending a conversation, wish them a nice rest. It is considered good luck for the ghost in question, their family, and yourself.
Some ghosts tend to haunt the place they died rather than their burial sites. In these cases, you get house hauntings. From college dorms to Buckingham Palace, London has one of the largest house-haunting populations in the country.
Buckingham Palace has 187 spirits haunting its premises. The ghost of King Edward VII, who passed in 1910, has tea with the current Queen Elizabeth on a weekly basis to chat about the monarchy and family gossip. There are several servants who have died in bizarre accidents throughout the years. They dawdle and play pranks on the monarchy and current servants of the palace. If you stand by the gates late enough after sunset, you can sometimes see the ghost of a previous Queen’s Life Guard soldier standing stock still in position, just as he used to do before he tripped one day and impaled himself on his weapon.
The Odeon at Leicester Square has its very own community ghost, which is rare for such a new building. Marius Welch stands guard in the projector room. He was a janitor who dreamt of becoming a movie star, but an unfortunate incident while cleaning up after the premier of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire crushed his dreams, and he remains in the theater moping and watching films for eternity.
If you find yourself at 35 Gower Street while visiting London and happen to be up past 2:00 a.m., you may have the chance to meet the local house ghost, Barry the Bagpiper, as he roams the halls with his bagpipes slung over his shoulder. Don’t be afraid to talk to Barry; he is a docile ghost and loves connecting with the new house residents. Sometimes when Barry gets lonely he actually starts to play the bagpipes. His favorite song to play is “Scotland the Brave,” and you can hear it at all hours of the day being played throughout the house. Other favorites are “Amazing Grace” and “Bad Romance,” even though Lady Gaga was well after his time.