Guide to London: For the Dark Tourist

Guide to London: For the Dark Tourist

London has a long and dark history  which makes this city an ideal dark tourist destination. Here are 8 things to see and visit for the dark tourist.

1. Visit Highgate Cemetery

Take a walking tour in one of  London’s most famous burial Grounds

Highgate Cemetery: Wikimedia Commons

Highgate Cemetery is the most famous cemetery in London and is part of the magnificent 7 cemeteries. The cemeteries represent the greatest in Victorian burial traditions and the changing attitudes and trends towards death at the time.

The cemetery is the resting place for over 170,000 people, with people still being buried there today. It is home to many famous people, including Karl Marx, its most visited resident, where you will find his bust mounted on the tombstone.  Other famous people include literary figures Douglas Adams and George Eliot.

Karl Marx’s Grave in Highgate Cemetery: Wikimedia Commons

Funeral architects let their imagination and creativity run wild with the graves and mausoleums. The Victorian fascination with the Egyptian resulted in the spectacular Egyptian Avenue and its many remarkable tombs.

A little more creepy are the Terrace Catacombs. Inside there is a brick vaulted gallery 80 yards long. It is lined with separate spaces, each large enough to take a coffin, enough for 825 coffins in total.

You can take an official guided tour of the cemetery, where you will learn all about the history and secrets of the site, seeing some famous graves along the way.  In the summer months of June and July the cemetery stays open until 9pm, allowing visitors to taking in the special atmosphere later into the evening (more info on the website).

Highgate Cemetery, Swain’s Lane, London N6 6PJ

Access: Archway Station (Northern Line) is a 10 minute walk. Otherwise bus route C11 from stop Brookfield Park. From there it is a 7 minute walk.

10am to 4pm (November to February)
10am to 5pm (March to October)

Admission: for the East Cemetery tickets cost £4 for adults and is free for under 18s. The West cemetery is only open for guided tour only (see website)

2. Take a guided Jack the Ripper Tour, London’s most notorious Murderer

The most notorious serial killer to have walked the streets of London, Jack the Ripper was an unidentified murderer active in the deprived areas around Whitechapel and Shoreditch in 1888. Initially known as the ‘Whitechapel Murderer’ he later became known as ‘Jack the Ripper’ due to a mysterious letter sent to a London news agency.

His notoriety and infamy is the main reason this tour is so popular, with thousands joining each year. In this unique tour you will be transported back in time to 1888, where you will wander the old alleyways, investigating and learning about each of the murder scenes with the help of expert tour guides.

In an era where crime detection was non existent, Jack the Ripper was able to roam the streets of Whitechapel, with his crimes becoming more violent as each week passed.  You will be able to see police documents of the crime scenes as well as the victims themselves. By allowing a better understanding of the streets from the era, you will also come across some of the historic photographs.

The tour will then focus on the 30th September 1888, the night of the double murder, which was the night the police came closest to catching him. This was the night he left his only clue at the scene. The tour will discuss the significance of this clue and how it reveals several answers about his identity.

More about Annie Chapman – the second victim of Jack the Ripper…

Another highlight includes learning about the aftermath of the second victim, Annie Chapman, whose throat had been cut twice all the way around the neck. Even more shocking was the cut in her abdomen, which the intestine had been entirely removed and placed over her shoulder.

Within 30 minutes of her body being discovered she was identified by a woman named Elizabeth Long, who had claimed to see her at the front of number 29 Hanbury Street, where she lived. She claimed to have seen her with a foreign looking man of scruffy appearance. The man was heard asking ‘will you?’ to Annie, to which she responded ‘yes’.

Around 10 minutes later, however Albert Cadosch, a local resident was walking into his garden when he heard a loud noise from next door. He could hear a woman’s voice whispering ‘no!’ before a thump was heard. 20 minutes later the body was found.

Some other highlights include  a visit to the pub where Mary Nichols, widely considered by many to be the first victim of Jack the Ripper, drank away her money shortly before she was murdered in the early hours of August 31st 1888. Another interesting place you will visit is the eerie alleyway where a lady, whom many rumored was one of Jack the Ripper’s victims, walked with her killer on 7th August 1888.

If you want to read about the true identity of Jack the Ripper, follow this link to Daily Mail UK

Meeting point for the tour is at exit 1 of Aldgate East station (District and Hammersmith & City Lines)

The tour takes place every evening from 7pm and lasts around 2 hours

3. London’s Execution Sites

London had many execution sites which were  for crimes ranging from treason, murder, piracy, to more petty crimes.

One of London’s most used execution sites was Tyburn Gallows, which operated from 1196 to 1783. The site, which is close to Marble Arch, dates back to Roman times. The Tyburn tree, which was erected in 1571 could accommodate 24 criminals simultaneously. It become a landmark for notoriety and even appeared on maps. Notable criminals that were hanged here include the exhumed corpse of Oliver Cromwell. The site is now marked by plaque.

Tyburn Memorial Plaque: Wikimedia Commons

4. Wapping Execution Dock

Where criminals were  at sea were executed…

Criminals at sea, including pirates, smugglers and mutineers were sent to Wapping Execution Dock. Execution Dock had been used as an execution site for over 400 years, until the 1830s. Crimes committed at sea were punished by the admiralty, who wanted a site that was visible from the waterfront as a warning to criminals.

Execution Dock: Wikimedia Commons

The most famous criminal that was hanged here was Captain Kidd, who was executed for piracy in 1701. His execution didn’t exactly go to plan as the rope broke on the first attempt and he had to wait for the hangman to try again.

Criminals were hanged over the water from a shortened noose, which ensured a slow death from asphyxiation. It is thought that Wapping was used due to its low tide mark in the Thames. It was tradition to leave their bodies there until at least three tides had swallowed them.

Nobody knows the exact location of Execution Dock, with some people believing it is where Wapping station stands; while others believe it is on the site of the Swan Wharf. You can get a rough idea of its location by visiting the Prospect of Whitby pub where you will see a noose hanging from the back of the pub commemorating Execution Dock.

5. Cross Bones Graveyard

Where the homeless and prostitutes were buried…

Cross Bones Graveyard: Wikimedia Commons

Cross Bones Graveyard is the result of man’s desire to honour the so called ‘dregs’ of society, which included prostitutes and the homeless.  They were buried beneath the ground without individual graves to note of their passing. Although its exact age is unclear it was referred to as  ‘single woman’s churchyard’  from the 16th century and was known as a burial ground for the homeless by the 18th century, until its closure in 1853.

The man behind the memorial gate is John Constable, local poet and performer. John says he was drawn to the graveyard by the spirit of  ‘The Goose,’ one of the prostitutes buried here. The prostitutes at the time were known as The Winchester Geese, as they were licensed to work in the brothels in the area by Bishop of Winchester. It is believed these women died in the unconsecrated burial ground of Cross Bones. This meant they were destined for hell. In remembrance for these people that died here John Constable holds a vigil here every 23rd of the month.

6. Twilight Tours at the Tower of London

Enjoy this unique tour of the Tower of London where you will learn and discover all about the macabre history of the Tower. You will be able to gain after hours access to this popular attraction. The tour, led by Beefeaters, begins in the main outdoor spaces of the site, stopping at the Bloody Tower, Traitor’s Gate, Tower Green and other areas.

Tales of torture, execution and other haunting stories become more chilling and spooky in the dark, with the tour feeling more like a performance. One of the most famous ghost stories in the Tower of London was one of the ‘waving’ White Woman. Almost every castle in England is rumoured to be haunted by a ghost of a woman in black robes.

These women have featured in many tales over the years. The Tower of London woman is regarded to be spookier than most. Visitors have caught a glimpse of a figure in the corner of their eyes, before suddenly coming across a terrible smell of an old perfume. Some visitors have  described chilling feeling running down their neck, while others have even been rumored to have felt a tapping on their shoulder, only to see nothing there.

Tours take place on Sunday on the following Dates

12, 19 and 26 January 2020

2, 9, 16 and 23 February 2020

1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 March 2020

5 April 202

Tickets cost £27.50

Nearest Station Tower Hill (Circle and District Line)

7. 50 Berkeley Square

London’s most haunted house!

50 Berkeley Square: Wikimedia Commons

Once nicknamed the most haunted house in London, 50 Berkely House has had countless tales of ghost stories haunting the house. As a result the house has remained empty for many years. Passersby, however, would often report seeing strange flashing lights, or screaming coming from inside the house. On one occasion someone had reportedly heard a body being dragged down a staircase. On other occasions, visitors felt they were being watched.

Among these tales involved longstanding tenant, Mr Myers, who locked himself in the house until he passed away. He is rumored to haunt the house. It is believed Mr Myers went crazy after being rejected by his fiancée, letting the house fall apart around him. After dying in 1874, the maid who had discovered him, was so distressed that she died the next day in an asylum.

Another eerie tale was one where two sailors broke in late at night, only to be woken by the sound of footsteps on the stairs, followed by heaving banging on the door. Then a strange brown mist filled up the room. Although one of the sailors managed to escape, the other was dead, his body impaled on the railings outside.

8. Tales of the Plague guided walk

Back in the 14th century half of London’s population were wiped out by the Black Death, while in 1665, 100,000 were killed by the Great Plague of London. These were among the greatest pandemics in human history. The arrival of the plague caused chaos as no one knew how to deal with it or who it would strike next, whether it would be old, young, rich or poor. One thing was certain though, if boils known as buboes were found on your body, you would be dead within 3 days.

The city is still left with many traces of the plague, and on this tour visitors will be able to go on a fascinating journey through the streets of London. You will be lead through winding alleyways by guides, dressed up as a whole host of humorous and colourful characters through costumes and props – from the Plague doctor to a 14th century peasant. Each one of these characters gives their impression of the times they lived in. You will hear their dark stories of diseases and plague.

Other highlights of the tour include discovering the plague pits, where hundreds of victims are buried. You will also visit the ancient streets and churches and hear their vivid accounts of the plague.