London has a haunted history, and The Underground is no different. The weaving network has its own fair share of spooky tales and stories you might never have realised.
Plague Pits
Sounds grim we know. But, during its creation, the London Underground had to be built around various enormous plague pits. For example, 1000 bodies are said to lie beneath Aldgate station, which had to be built over a plague pit from 1665.
And even now, as workers dig the tunnels for the new Crossrail service, various suspected plague pits have been uncovered. A mass burial site suspected to contain 30 victims of The Great Plague of 1665 was unearthed at the Liverpool Street site in 2015. You can see an amazing 360 degree video of the excavation here.
When speaking exclusively to Spectrum Paranormal Investigations, we asked them if these plague pits might lead to certain stations being haunted. Hazel said: “I would be sceptical – I would say the deceased were already deceased” meaning that their spirits would have left them above ground, rather than below.
Coffins and Corpses
Another gruesome header we admit. But did you know that two corpses have travelled on the Underground?
In 1898, the coffin of former prime minister William Gladstone was transported to Westminster station to make sure it arrived at his State Funeral at Westminster Abbey on time. We all know what London traffic can be like, and we’re guessing the tube was the safest bet…
The second corpse to travel on the tube was that of Dr Thomas Barnardo, the man famous for setting up a series of charitable children’s homes. He made his final journey on the Central Line in 1905, with his coffin travelling on a special train from Liverpool Street to Barkingside Station.
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