Dark History of London Ghosts Gallows and Body Snatchers

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

• 1

  Meet your guide at Farringdon Station and begin your journey into the darker side of Clerkenwell and Smithfield. Discover how this fashionable part of modern London hides centuries of murder, imprisonment, executions, rebellion and ghostly legends.

  10 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 2
  Smithfield Market

  Explore historic Smithfield, one of London's oldest and most atmospheric districts. Discover its fascinating history as a livestock market and hear how this ancient open space also became notorious as a place of public execution and punishment. Smithfield Executions and Martyrs Stand close to the site where some of the most infamous executions in London's history took place. Hear the gruesome stories of William Wallace, religious martyrs and others who faced terrible deaths before enormous crowds.

  10 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 3
  St Bartholomew's Gatehouse

  Discover one of London's most remarkable medieval churches and step back into the world of monks, monasteries and ancient Smithfield. Hear about the church's extraordinary history alongside eerie stories and ghostly legends associated with this atmospheric corner of London.

  10 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 4
  Rising Sun

  Stop outside the historic Rising Sun in atmospheric Cloth Fair and hear one of the area's darkest tales. Discover the stories linking this old Smithfield pub with London's notorious body snatchers, who are said to have targeted unsuspecting victims before supplying bodies for medical dissection. Hear about the gruesome trade in human corpses and the terrifying world of the resurrection men who operated around London's hospitals and burial grounds.

  10 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 5
  Charterhouse Square

  See the historic Charterhouse and discover one of the darkest chapters in London's history. Hear how this area became the site of a vast burial ground during the Black Death of 1348 and 1349, when thousands of Londoners died from the plague. Discover how the land later became home to a Carthusian monastery and hear how modern archaeology uncovered evidence of plague victims beneath the surrounding streets, a chilling reminder of the medieval catastrophe that devastated London.

  10 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 6
  Old Bailey

  Stand outside the famous Old Bailey on the site of Newgate Prison, once London's most notorious and feared gaol. Hear dark tales of condemned prisoners, brutal conditions and public executions that drew enormous crowds. Discover the chilling medieval legend of the Black Dog of Newgate, a terrifying spectral beast said to have appeared within the prison after a particularly gruesome act by starving inmates. Hear how the creature supposedly haunted Newgate for centuries and became one of London's oldest and most sinister ghost stories.

  10 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 7
  The Viaduct Tavern

  Stop outside the magnificent Victorian Viaduct Tavern, one of London's most atmospheric historic pubs, standing opposite the Old Bailey. Hear chilling tales of strange happenings in its cellar, including the story of a ghostly figure said to haunt the rooms below. Discover the pub's connection with the old Newgate Prison area and decide for yourself whether its underground spaces really hold echoes of London's darker past.

  10 minutes • Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Wheelchair accessible
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
• All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible

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