A ghostly tour, another way to visit London

With the opening of Daniel Radcliffe's picture, the "Woman in Black", due to be in theatres in the U.S. on Feburary 3rd, visiting the darker side of London is once more fashionable. In keeping with the new interest in paranormal phenomenas, It is one of the many places visited on a Great British Tours - "London Ghost Walk" - which include other ghost stories at the locations where the ghosts were actually seen. London, for some strange reason, is said to have the largest concentration of paranormal phenomenas, while not my cup-of-tea, it is appealing to some. For those who like the "spooky, the eerie, the other-worldliness, the "London Ghost Walks" are just the thing.

1. London's most haunted pub - The Grenadier is tucked away in Wilton Mews a delightful hidden nook, away from the rush of London, and with a country air about it. It is said the pub's "upper floors" were once used as the Officers Mess of a nearby barracks, and the cellar was used for - drinking and gaming - for the common soldiers. The story says - a soldier cheated at cards, and his companions beat him to death. This is believed to have occured in the month of September, as that is the month each year, when a solemn, silent spectre can be seen moving across the low ceiling rooms. The pub also has shown other ghostly signs - objects move mysteriously, footsteps can be heard pacing around empty rooms, low moans emanate from the cellar, and smoke from unseen cigarettes can be seen drifting in the air. On one occasion a photograph was taken in the pub, and when it was developed the face of a young man with a handlebar moustache could be seen, reflected in the pane of glass. These and many more ghostly myths are recounted to thrill and entertain those who visit the "Grenadier". Read all about it at http://www.haunted-london.com/the-grenadier-pub.html

2. 10 Downing Street has been home and office to the Prime Minister's of England since the 17th century, it is therefore, only to be expected, that ghosts reside in it's hallowed halls, among the living. Many ghostly sights have been experienced by visitors and residents of 10 Downing street - such as
a. the man in Regency-style clothing who makes appearances, both inside and outside the house. Who he is no one knows.
b. the lady in a long dress with a magnificent string of pearls, who haunts the drawing room.
c. the smell of cigar smoke, which many attribute to the ghost of Winston Churchill
d. and the man in the top hat, striding across the entrance lobby, before exiting through the closed front door. These and more eerie stories can be found at http://www.walksoflondon.co.uk/57/ghosts-at-10-downing-stre.shtml

3. Westminster Abbey which dates back to the 6th century, has many eerie stories to tell, but the most poignant is the one of the unknown soldier, who died in WW1, was given a royal funeral, then buried in soil brought from the battlefields of France, beneath a marble stone quarried in Belgium. The story says - when the Abbey is still with no one around, the soldier materializes alongside his tomb, stands with head bowed, for a few minutes then slowly dissolves into thin air. I wonder who saw him.
For more stories go to http://www.ghost-story.co.uk/stories/westminsterabbeyghosts.html

4. And now for the "Woman in Black" that has renewed interest in the ghosts of London, stories that have been with us for centuries. This is the story about a spectre that haunts a small English Town, a woman who takes vengence on the town for her tragic life and the death of her son. The hauntings is said to include the sound of a horse and cart in difficulty closely followed by the screams of a small child. It is said the "Woman in Black's small son died when the pony cart he was in riding in across the causeway, sank into the marshes killing everyone onboard. The mother's death, followed closely after that, and according to local lore - the woman returns to wander the village of Crythin Gifford and whenever she is seen, the death of a child follows.

While the true story of the "Woman in Black" took place outside London, a play was adapted from, the ficton thriller written by Susan Hill in 1983, it can be seen at the "Fortune Theatre" in London's West End. It has recently been made into a movie which will start airing in Feburary in U.S. theatres. Interested in the full story, be sure to see the movie, or visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Woman_in_Black.

London Ghost Walks has many other "ghostly tours" on their spine chilling walking tour -
here are a few of the more well known - The Tower of London with 900 years of blood, death and intrigue; Jack the Ripper's Ghost, one of London's most famous criminals; The Admiral's Doppleganger, seen at the moment he died, half-way around the world; and The most Haunted House in London, this shoud not be missed, read all about it at http://www.haunted-london.com/50-berkeley-square.