Being a horror fan in London isn’t too much of a struggle. We have the Tower of London and its infamous prisoners-turned-ghosts and bloody executions including three queens, Southbank’s favourite London Dungeon, the Haunted Gallery at Hampton Court Palace where one of Henry’s wives still screams, the Ghost Bus or Jack the Ripper Ghost Walks, and of course Victorian cemeteries and haunted pubs all around town. But have you tried Lincoln’s Inn Fields?
A short walk from Holborn station, it is the largest public square in the capital and the oldest in Camden borough. Three of the main buildings are from the 17th century, but don’t expect ghosts coming from here. They’re probably too afraid of four other spirits, haunting the square since the 16th century. Interested? The best is yet to come. Let’s start with Anthony Babington and his plans to murder Elizabeth I in order to make way for her cousin Mary. We all know that story, but what about the fact that he got all his members sliced open and cut off (yes, ALL of them) and still managed to stay very conscious? The Queen was so shocked and disturbed by his screams that she had him removed quicker than expected. If you want to see Babington, Lincoln’s Inn Fields is the place to go. Just don’t expect to find him whole and well. Lord William Russell’s prolonged beheading for the attempted murder of Charles II deserves a mention too, with four tries to cut the head off properly. After the first blow, Russell looked up and asked why this was taking so long. The third ghost belongs to a murdered body on which were tested the effects of electricity on a corpse for the first time, by Professor Aldini at the Royal College of Surgeons, part of the square since 1800. After seeing the corpse’s jaw shake so violently and the body convulse, the keeper died from pure fright. Here you have your four ghosts, available for free visits at any time, best result expected when the moon rises. If you prefer softer terrors, head for the Sir John Soane’s Museum, where you can discover his exuberant collection of sarcophagus and miniature ancient cities among other curiosities, candlelit until 9pm every first Tuesdays in Winter. Don’t go alone, hold a hand, call your mummy.