On 30th January in 1649, King Charles was executed at 2pm outside the Palace of Whitehall.
A scaffold had been erected in front of the Banqueting House at first-floor level, high above the thousands of spectators. It gave them a clear view of the grisly execution as the King was beheaded.
If you dare to walk in the footsteps of this tragic King you should visit Banqueting House, as it’s open to the public.
A portrait of King Charles I
Strangely enough, the ghost of King Charles ghost is thought to wander the halls of Christ Church College in Oxford. Some sightings report he is missing a vital body part due to his gruesome execution; his head. There have also been sightings of the King’s restless spirit in the Bodleian Library.
As it’s Christmas, I wanted to pay homage to Charles Dickens, who wrote the classic Christmas tale, A Christmas Carol. It’s a novella well worth buying as a Christmas present. The definitive film version for me is the 1951 film starring Alistair Sim as Scrooge. It’s an emotionally-engaging ghost story that holds out the promise of spiritual redemption.
It’s hardly surprising to learn that Charles Dickens was fascinated with the supernatural, as in 1859 he actively sought to visit a haunted property, as this article on Charles Dickens in the Guardian explains.
There’s also an excellent piece on the Historic UK website on the intellectual influence of ghosts on Charles Dickens’ writing, although he could perhaps be called a ‘fascinated skeptic’ as revealed on the Charles Dickens Museum website.
Although I’ve not found any story connecting a London site with the ghost of Charles Dickens, anyone hoping to come across his spirit should definitely visit the Charles Dickens Museum. It is based at the house in central London where the author and his family lived in the late 1830s. If you’d like to visit it is at 48 Doughty Street in King’s Cross.
Death in Paradise
For those who like their ghosts with a Caribbean twist, it seems that this year’s Death in Paradise Christmas Special on the BBC will be a treat. Set in the stunning French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, it’s thousands of miles away from the spooky scenes that Dickens was familiar with.
If you, or anyone you know, is interested in the supernatural set against a Caribbean backdrop you might also like to read the novella, Volcanic Vengeance. It’s a chilling ghost story set in Guadeloupe’s twin island of Martinique during the 1980s.
All Hallows by the Tower is London’s oldest church, reputedly founded in 675 AD. It can be found on Byward Street, overlooking the Tower of London. Given its age, there is lots of history here but surprisingly few ghosts have been reported. The most famous ghost story associated with this church is that of an old lady, appearing before a choirmaster and two schoolboys practising carols in December 1920. They thought she was real before she disappeared, immediately afterward a phantom cat also made an appearance.
Apparently, the old lady made several more appearances in the 1920s and 1930s but hasn’t been since the Church was bombed in World War II.
Thankfully, the war-damaged church was rebuilt and is still an eerie place to visit, with a crypt housing cremated bodies, a museum and an underground chapel. One ghost I wouldn’t want to bump into is that of the notorious ‘hanging judge’, Judge Jeffries who was married here in 1667. The sixth US President John Quincy Adams was also married here in 1797.
All Hallows by the Tower
You can see more of the church in this video from London Landscape TV on YouTube:
I’ve come across an amazing documentary on Youtube, entitled, ‘Ghosts on the Underground’. It features some very memorable experiences with ghosts from people who have worked on the London Underground.
Not only does it detail some first-hand accounts of spine-tingling encounters with possible ghosts on the ‘Tube’ (as we Londoners call it) but it is thoughtfully constructed and very professionally filmed, with the actor Paul McGann as narrator. I can’t recommend it highly enough as It really does deserve to be watched.
History
Over a billion people a year use the London Underground, the oldest such train system in the world. It dates back to January 10th, 1863 when the world’s first underground railway, the Metropolitan Railway, opened between Paddington and Farringdon serving six intermediate stations. Yet so few users have any idea of the ghostly encounters detailed in this documentary.
Do you have a story of a ghostly encounter on the Tube? If so, do please let me know.
Credits
Unfortunately, the creator and director of the video Joe Kane, head of Polar Media, hasn’t been credited on the Youtube channel on which it resides. Nevertheless, I think it is important that I do so here. It’s a first-class piece of work and if anyone wants to produce a follow-up ghost documentary (or any documentary for that matter) Joe Kane is certainly worth contacting. Just read the fulsome tributes paid by viewers on Youtube to ‘Ghosts on the Underground’, if you are in any doubt.
Apparently, ghosts are becoming more common. I have no idea how many there might be in London but you’d expect it to be millions, yet I’ve yet to see one. Well, if I have seen one I didn’t recognise it at the time.
However, recently I obtained this footage from a webcam that could possibly be a spectral cyclist. I leave it up to you to decide.
