Ghost Tours in London

Ghost Tours in London

15 September, 2009
by: Spoonfed Team

Everyone loves a bit of a scare now and then, except you might be a little tired of sitting and home and watching re-runs of The Exorcist.  Also, it’s one thing being an armchair ghost hunter, and another taking the next step into exploring the unknown. If you’re up for some proper frights, London at night can be a well creepy place, judging from the number of ghost tours on offer to spook-seekers. Here’s Spoonfed’s guide to scaring yourself silly... don't look behind now:

Ghost Tours and Kids Ghost Tours at Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace may be overrun with camera-toting tourists in the day but once night falls, it’s allegedly the spooks who come out to play. Henry VII’s ghost has been spotted there many a time, most famously in this spine-tingling video captured on CCTV.  To go dead royal-spotting, sign up for one of the palace’s ghost tours that you through Henry’s state apartments, including the Haunted Gallery.  There’s also a less-scary tour for kids.

Twilight Tours
Ooh, the Tower Of London is touted as the most haunted building in England. No surprise, considering the number of restless souls who were executed here.  Ever a sucker for tradition, Henry VI is said to make a yearly appearance on the anniversary of his murder - along with other famous but mournful ghosts like Anne Boelyn and Lady Jane Grey.  This tour is led by one of the Tower’s famous Yeoman Warders.

Jack The Ripper Walk
Arguably the most famous serial killer of all time, Jack The Ripper is now a bit of a tourism cash cow, with numerous tours dedicated to retracing his murderous footsteps.  Most tours take you through the East End, into the dark alleyways of Whitechapel and Spitalfields, with a bit of variation here and there.  If you can’t be bothered to shop around, this one gets our vote

The Original London Ghost Walk
For two hours of otherworldly thrills, supernatural expert Richard Jones leads ghost-seekers into the haunted bowels of the city starting from the apparently-haunted Bank station.  Jones, who has several books like Walking Haunted London and TV appearances to his name, also claims to be a psychic so it’ll probably do you little good to be thinking inappropriate thoughts while he’s in the vicinity.

The London Dungeon
Not an organised tour per se, but you can always count on the London Dungeon for some cheap but effective scares. Among its attractions is a Boat Ride To Hell (not quite a holiday cruise), a Labyrinth Of The Lost (not quite a garden maze) and Surgery: Blood And Guts (not quite Grey’s Anatomy).  The whole experience is not quite Disneyland.

Vampire Walking Tour
Vampires seem to be all the rage these days, what with Twilight and True Blood mania. Go in search of the Count himself as you visit the house where he lived when he was ahem, touring London; Highgate Cemetery, home of the Highgate Vampire; and Highgate Woods, where occultists performed their rituals in the 1970s. Just don’t expect the undead to be vegetarian.

Ghost Hunting with London Paranormal
Do some supernatural stalking of your own with London Paranormal, a ghost-hunting group that’s open to the public.  In the run-up to Halloween this year, they’ve put together a London Ghost Festival, which includes night watches in haunted locales, cycle and walking tours and talks on the nether realm. 

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Spoonfed Team