50 Berkeley Square: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Latest revision as of 23:59, 3 March 2024

50 Berkeley Square is a reportedly haunted townhouse on Berkeley Square in Mayfair, Central London. In the late 19th century it became known as one of the most haunted houses in London,^[1] with its attic room said to be haunted by the spirit of a young woman who had committed suicide there.

Researchers have since suggested that the stories may have derived from the odd behaviour of the house's occupant, Thomas Myers, who slept during the day and made unusual sounds in the house at night.^[2]^[3] It has also been noted that many of the stories about the house were exaggerated or invented by later writers about its ghosts.^[4]

Legend

The legend about the house varies, but most versions state that the attic room of the house is haunted by the spirit of a young woman who committed suicide there.^[5] She purportedly threw herself from a top-floor window after being abused by her uncle^[6] and is said to be capable of frightening people to death. The spirit is said to take the form of a brown mist, though sometimes it is reported as a white figure.^[7] A rarer version of the tale is that a young man was locked in the attic room, fed only through a hole in the door, until he eventually went mad and died.^[8] Another story is that the attic room is haunted by the ghost of a little girl who was killed there by a sadistic servant.

From 1859 until the early 1870s Thomas Myers, who was rumoured to have been rejected by his fiancée, lived in the house.^[5] He lived alone and it was said that he locked himself inside and slowly went mad until his death at the age of 76 in November 1874.^[6] During his residence in the house it fell into gross disrepair and its reputation began to develop.^[3]^[5]^[6]

It is alleged that in 1872, on a bet, Lord Lyttleton stayed a night in the building's attic.^[7] He brought his shotgun with him and fired at an apparition. In the morning he attempted to find the apparition, but could only find shotgun cartridges.^[7] The following year the local council issued a summons to the house's owners for failure to pay taxes, but it is claimed that they were not prosecuted because of the house's reputation for being haunted.^[9]

In 1879 a piece in the Mayfair Magazine alleged that a maid who stayed in the attic room had been found mad and had died in an asylum the day after.^[6]^[5]^[10] It was also alleged that after a nobleman spent the night in the attic room he was so paralyzed with fear that he could not speak.^[11]

In 1887 it was alleged that two sailors from HMS Penelope stayed a night in the house.^[5] By morning one was found dead, having tripped as he ran from the house.^[5] The other reported having seen the ghost of Myers approaching them aggressively.^[5]

Modern interest in the site was spurred by its inclusion in Peter Underwood's book Haunted London (1975).^[12]

No phenomena have been reported since the house was bought by the Maggs Brothers in the late 1930s^[5] and, though many contemporary media outlets have reported happenings at the house, more recent investigators claim that nothing unusual has ever taken place there.^[13] They remark that events in Edward Bulwer-Lytton's story "The Haunted and the Haunters" bear a remarkable resemblance to the supposed hauntings at 50 Berkeley Square.^[14]

Sceptical reception

There were three sets of correspondence about 50 Berkeley Square in the journal Notes and Queries, in 1872–73, 1879 and 1880–81. A common conclusion was that the neglect of the house had inspired the imaginative stories about hauntings.

In her autobiography, published in 1906, Lady Dorothy Nevill stated that Mr Myers was a relative of hers. After he had lost his fiancée his behaviour "bordered upon lunacy" and he stayed in the house all day, becoming active at night, when he rambled about, making strange sounds.^[2] According to Nevill, the "old house would occasionally appear to be lit up at the dead of night". She considered that Myers's nocturnal activities had been misinterpreted by others as evidence of a ghost. She concluded that the haunting had no factual basis and that the "whole story was nonsense".^[2]

Modern researchers have suggested that the house was never haunted and that many of the stories were either exaggerated or invented by later writers.^[3]^[4] For example, the claim that sailors entered the house in the 1870s was invented by Elliott O'Donnell and there is no evidence to confirm any part of the story.^[4]

References

^ Jones, Richard. (2007). Walking Haunted London. New Holland Publishers Ltd: 4th Edition. p. 69
^ ^a ^b ^c Nevill, Lady Dorothy. (1906). The Reminiscences of Lady Dorothy Nevill: Edited by Her Son Ralph Nevill . London: Edward Arnold. pp. 261–264
^ ^a ^b ^c Bondeson, Jan. (2015). The Most Haunted House in London. Fortean Times. Issue 335, p. 28
^ ^a ^b ^c Roud, Steve. (2010). London Lore: The Legends and Traditions of the World's Most Vibrant City. Arrow. pp. 70–76. ISBN 978-0099519867
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Floyd, Randall (19 July 1998). "SUPERNATURAL OCCURRENCES FILL HOUSE'S PAST". The Augusta Chronicle. pp. E2.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Cheung, Theresa (2006). The Element Encyclopedia of the Psychic World. Harper Element. p. 210. ISBN 978-0-00-721148-7.
^ ^a ^b ^c Dave (11 August 2007). "The Saturday Strangeness". Londonist.
^ Watts, Peter (26 October 2005). "Haunted London – City of the dead". Time Out. p. 14.
^ Heather Ludgate (2007). London Laid Bare. Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie Pu. p. 131. ISBN 978-1-84386-319-9.
^ Guiley, Rosemary. (1994). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits. Guinness Publishing. p. 120
^ Jones, Richard (31 October 2006). "Haunted Britain". Independent Extra. p. 24.
^ Alzina Stone Dale; Barbara Sloan-Hendershott (2004). Mystery Reader's Walking Guide: London. iUniverse. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-595-31513-0.
^ "The Big Smoke – London's Urban Legends: From Ghosts to Nursery Rhymes, the Real Origins of the Capital's Myths". Time Out. 13 November 2008. p. 8.
^ Nick Rennison (October 2007). The Book of Lists London. Canongate. p. 281. ISBN 978-1-84195-934-4.

External links

WalksOfLondon.co.uk – 50 Berkeley Square, The Most Haunted House In London

51°30′31.8″N 0°8′45.1″W / 51.508833°N 0.145861°W / 51.508833; -0.145861

[Jones-1] Jones, Richard. (2007). Walking Haunted London. New Holland Publishers Ltd: 4th Edition. p. 69

[Nevill-2] Nevill, Lady Dorothy. (1906). The Reminiscences of Lady Dorothy Nevill: Edited by Her Son Ralph Nevill . London: Edward Arnold. pp. 261–264

[Bondeson-3] Bondeson, Jan. (2015). The Most Haunted House in London. Fortean Times. Issue 335, p. 28

[Roud-4] Roud, Steve. (2010). London Lore: The Legends and Traditions of the World's Most Vibrant City. Arrow. pp. 70–76. ISBN 978-0099519867

[haunted-5] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Floyd, Randall (19 July 1998). "SUPERNATURAL OCCURRENCES FILL HOUSE'S PAST". The Augusta Chronicle. pp. E2.

[book1-6] Cheung, Theresa (2006). The Element Encyclopedia of the Psychic World. Harper Element. p. 210. ISBN 978-0-00-721148-7.

[Lyttleton-7] Dave (11 August 2007). "The Saturday Strangeness". Londonist.

[8] Watts, Peter (26 October 2005). "Haunted London – City of the dead". Time Out. p. 14.

[Ludgate2007-9] Heather Ludgate (2007). London Laid Bare. Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie Pu. p. 131. ISBN 978-1-84386-319-9.

[10] Guiley, Rosemary. (1994). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits. Guinness Publishing. p. 120

[11] Jones, Richard (31 October 2006). "Haunted Britain". Independent Extra. p. 24.

[DaleSloan-Hendershott2004-12] Alzina Stone Dale; Barbara Sloan-Hendershott (2004). Mystery Reader's Walking Guide: London. iUniverse. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-595-31513-0.

[13] "The Big Smoke – London's Urban Legends: From Ghosts to Nursery Rhymes, the Real Origins of the Capital's Myths". Time Out. 13 November 2008. p. 8.

[Rennison2007-14] Nick Rennison (October 2007). The Book of Lists London. Canongate. p. 281. ISBN 978-1-84195-934-4.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Townhouse in Central London, England}}
+{{Use British English|date=July 2011}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
 [[File:Berkeley Square illustration.png|thumb]]
-'''50 Berkeley Square''' is a reportedly [[haunted house|haunted townhouse]] on [[Berkeley Square]] in [[Mayfair]], in Central London. In the late 19th Century, it became known as one of the most haunted houses in London.<ref name="Jones">Richard Jones, ''Walking Haunted London'', New Holland Publishers Ltd: 4th edition (28 September 2007). p. 69</ref> Researchers have since suggested an entirely rationalistic explanation for the alleged 'haunting' phenomena that involved the house occupant, Thomas Myers.<ref name="Bondeson"> [[Jan Bondeson|Bondeson, Jan]]. (2015). ''The Most Haunted House in London''. [[Fortean Times]]. Issue 335, p. 28</ref> It has also been noted that many of the stories about the house were exaggerated or entirely fictional.<ref name="Roud">Roud, Steve. ''London Lore: The Legends and Traditions of the World's Most Vibrant City''. pp. 70-76</ref>
+'''50 Berkeley Square''' is a reportedly [[haunted house|haunted townhouse]] on [[Berkeley Square]] in [[Mayfair]], Central London. In the late 19th century it became known as one of the most haunted houses in London,<ref name="Jones">Jones, Richard. (2007). ''Walking Haunted London''. New Holland Publishers Ltd: 4th Edition. p. 69</ref> with its attic room said to be haunted by the spirit of a young woman who had committed suicide there.
+Researchers have since suggested that the stories may have derived from the odd behaviour of the house's occupant, Thomas Myers, who slept during the day and made unusual sounds in the house at night.<ref name="Nevill">[[Lady Dorothy Nevill|Nevill, Lady Dorothy]]. (1906). ''The Reminiscences of Lady Dorothy Nevill: Edited by Her Son Ralph Nevill ''. London: Edward Arnold. pp. 261–264</ref><ref name="Bondeson">[[Jan Bondeson|Bondeson, Jan]]. (2015). ''The Most Haunted House in London''. [[Fortean Times]]. Issue 335, p. 28</ref> It has also been noted that many of the stories about the house were exaggerated or invented by later writers about its [[ghost]]s.<ref name="Roud">[[Steve Roud|Roud, Steve]]. (2010). ''London Lore: The Legends and Traditions of the World's Most Vibrant City''. Arrow. pp. 70–76. {{ISBN|978-0099519867}}</ref>
-==History and occupants==
-The four-story brick townhouse was constructed in the late eighteenth/early nineteenth century.<ref name="Floyd2002">{{cite book|author=E. Randall Floyd|title=In the Realm of Ghosts and Hauntings|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T8p8OyMHWTYC&pg=PA29|accessdate=24 July 2011|date=October 2002|publisher=Harbor House|isbn=978-1-891799-06-8|pages=29–}}</ref> Until 1827 it was the home of British Prime Minister [[George Canning]], commemorated by a plaque on the house today. The house was later occupied by Miss Elizabeth Curzon, who died in 1859, aged ninety.<ref>Chancellor, Edwin Beresford. (1907).[https://archive.org/stream/historyofsquares00chanuoft#page/22/mode/2up ''The History of the Squares of London, Topographical & Historical'']. London: K. Paul, French, Trübner. p. 22</ref><ref>Price, Harry. (1945). ''Poltergeist Over England: Three Centuries of Mischievous Ghosts''. Country Life.</ref>
-An eccentric "Mr. Myers" acquired the house in 1859. He was a recluse who never went outside, only answering the door to receive food from his servant.<ref>Floyd, E. Randall. (2002). ''In the Realm of Ghosts and Hauntings''. Harbor House. pp. 29-30. ISBN 978-1891799068</ref> It is suspected that Mr. Myers was Thomas Myers, the son of a member of parliament.<ref>Collins, Paul. (2015). [http://mentalfloss.com/article/63012/secret-50-berkeley-square "The Secret of 50 Berkeley Square"]. Retrieved 06 December 2016.</ref>
-It was later bought by [[British Petroleum|BP]].<ref name="BP">{{cite news  | last = Gray| first = Chris| title = PROPERTY TYCOONS IN BIDDING WAR FOR EXCLUSIVE ADDRESS| pages = 9|work=The Independent |location=UK | date = 14 April 2001| url = }}</ref>  From 1937 to 2015,<ref>http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/9f677a3a-9e69-11e5-8ce1-f6219b685d74.html#slide0</ref> the building was occupied by [[Maggs Bros]], a firm of antiquarian book dealers.<ref name="Jones"/> In 1998 the building was thought to be the oldest unaltered building in London.<ref name="conclusion">{{cite news  | last = Jenkins| first = Simon| title = A most fitting conclusion|work=The Times |location=UK | date = 27 November 1998| url = }}</ref>
 ==Legend==
-Legend varies, but mostly states that the attic room of the house is haunted by a spirit of a young woman who committed suicide there.<ref name="haunted">{{cite news  | last = Floyd| first = Randall| title = SUPERNATURAL OCCURRENCES FILL HOUSE'S PAST| pages = E2| publisher=The Augusta Chronicle| date = 19 July 1998| url = }}</ref> She purportedly threw herself from a top floor window after being abused by her uncle;<ref name="book1"/> and is said to be capable of frightening people to death. The spirit is said to take the form of a brown mist; though sometimes it is reported as a white figure.<ref name="Lyttleton"/> A rarer version of the tale is that a young man was locked in the attic room, fed only through a hole in the door, until he eventually went mad and died.<ref>{{cite news  | last = Watts| first = Peter| title = Haunted London – City of the dead| pages = 14| publisher=Time Out| date = 26 October 2005| url = }}</ref> One story states that the attic room is haunted by the ghost of a little girl that was killed by a sadistic servant in that room. At least two deaths were attributed.<ref>{{cite news  | last = Masey| first = Anthea| title = The haunting; London's grand mansions rattle with old bones and spooky experiences. Go on a ghost tour if you're brave enough, says Anthea Masey| pages = 8|work=The Evening Standard |location=UK | date = 24 October 2007| url = }}</ref>
+The legend about the house varies, but most versions state that the attic room of the house is haunted by the spirit of a young woman who committed suicide there.<ref name="haunted">{{cite news  | last = Floyd| first = Randall| title = SUPERNATURAL OCCURRENCES FILL HOUSE'S PAST| pages = E2| publisher=The Augusta Chronicle| date = 19 July 1998}}</ref> She purportedly threw herself from a top-floor window after being abused by her uncle<ref name="book1"/> and is said to be capable of frightening people to death. The spirit is said to take the form of a brown mist, though sometimes it is reported as a white figure.<ref name="Lyttleton"/> A rarer version of the tale is that a young man was locked in the attic room, fed only through a hole in the door, until he eventually went mad and died.<ref>{{cite news  | last = Watts| first = Peter| title = Haunted London – City of the dead| pages = 14| publisher=Time Out| date = 26 October 2005}}</ref> Another story is that the attic room is haunted by the ghost of a little girl who was killed there by a sadistic servant.
-From 1859 until the early 1870s, Mr. Myers, who had been rejected by his fiancée lived in the house.<ref name="haunted"/> It was said that he would lock himself inside and slowly went mad over the rest of his life.<ref name="book1">{{Cite book  | last = Cheung  | first = Theresa  | title = The Element Encyclopedia of the Psychic World  | publisher=Harper Element  | series =   | edition =   | year = 2006  | pages = 210  | url =   | id =   | isbn =  978-0-00-721148-7  | mr =   | zbl =   | jfm = }}</ref> During his stay at the house, it fell into gross disrepair and it is during this time that its reputation began to build. Myers died in 1874.<ref name="Bondeson"/><ref name="haunted"/><ref name="book1"/>
+From 1859 until the early 1870s Thomas Myers, who was rumoured to have been rejected by his fiancée, lived in the house.<ref name="haunted"/> He lived alone and it was said that he locked himself inside and slowly went mad until his death at the age of 76 in November 1874.<ref name="book1">{{Cite book  | last = Cheung  | first = Theresa  | title = The Element Encyclopedia of the Psychic World  | publisher=Harper Element  | year = 2006  | pages = 210  | isbn =  978-0-00-721148-7  }}</ref> During his residence in the house it fell into gross disrepair and its reputation began to develop.<ref name="Bondeson"/><ref name="haunted"/><ref name="book1"/>
-It is alleged that as a bet, in 1872, [[George Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton|Lord Lyttleton]] stayed a night in the building's attic.<ref name="Lyttleton"/> He brought his [[shotgun]] with him, and during the night fired at an apparition. In the morning, he attempted to find the apparition, but could only find shotgun cartridges.<ref name="Lyttleton">{{cite news  | author = Dave| title = The Saturday Strangeness| publisher=Londonist| date = 11 August 2007| url = }}</ref> The next year the local council brought a summons to the house's owners for failure to pay taxes, but due to the house's reputation as haunted they were not prosecuted.<ref name="Ludgate2007">{{cite book|author=Heather Ludgate|title=London Laid Bare|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rxGkAh9_kgAC&pg=PA131|accessdate=24 July 2011|date=19 November 2007|publisher=Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie Pu|isbn=978-1-84386-319-9|pages=131–}}</ref>
+It is alleged that in 1872, on a bet, [[George Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton|Lord Lyttleton]] stayed a night in the building's attic.<ref name="Lyttleton"/> He brought his [[shotgun]] with him and fired at an apparition. In the morning he attempted to find the apparition, but could only find shotgun cartridges.<ref name="Lyttleton">{{cite news  | author = Dave| title = The Saturday Strangeness| publisher=Londonist| date = 11 August 2007}}</ref> The following year the local council issued a summons to the house's owners for failure to pay taxes, but it is claimed that they were not prosecuted because of the house's reputation for being haunted.<ref name="Ludgate2007">{{cite book|author=Heather Ludgate|title=London Laid Bare|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rxGkAh9_kgAC&pg=PA131|year=2007|publisher=Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie Pu|isbn=978-1-84386-319-9|page=131}}</ref>
-In 1879, ''The Mayfair Magazine'' reported that a maid who had stayed in the attic room had been found mad.<ref name="book1"/> It was later reported that she died in an [[Lunatic asylum|asylum]] the day after.<ref name="haunted"/> On the day she was found, a nobleman purportedly took up the challenge to spend a night in the room, and his was the first death recorded in the house. The coroner pronounced him dead of fright.<ref name="haunted"/>
+In 1879 a piece in the ''Mayfair Magazine'' alleged that a maid who stayed in the attic room had been found mad and had died in an [[Lunatic asylum|asylum]] the day after.<ref name="book1"/><ref name="haunted"/><ref>Guiley, Rosemary. (1994). ''The Guinness Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits''. Guinness Publishing. p. 120</ref> It was also alleged that after a nobleman spent the night in the attic room he was so paralyzed with fear that he could not speak.<ref>{{cite news  | last = Jones| first = Richard| title = Haunted Britain| pages = 24| publisher=Independent Extra| date = 31 October 2006}}</ref>
+In 1887 it was alleged that two sailors from [[HMS Penelope (1867)|HMS ''Penelope'']] stayed a night in the house.<ref name="haunted"/> By morning one was found dead, having tripped as he ran from the house.<ref name="haunted"/> The other reported having seen the ghost of Myers approaching them aggressively.<ref name="haunted"/>
-It is said that after one nobleman had spent the night in the attic room, he was so paralysed with fear that he couldn't speak.<ref>{{cite news  | last = Jones| first = Richard| title = Haunted Britain| pages = 24| publisher=Independent Extra| date = 31 October 2006| url = }}</ref>
+Modern interest in the site was spurred by its inclusion in [[Peter Underwood (parapsychologist)|Peter Underwood]]'s book ''Haunted London'' (1975).<ref name="DaleSloan-Hendershott2004">{{cite book|author1=Alzina Stone Dale|author2=Barbara Sloan-Hendershott|title=Mystery Reader's Walking Guide: London|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kyXfTbVxYOQC&pg=PA117|year=2004|publisher=iUniverse|isbn=978-0-595-31513-0|page=117}}</ref>
-In 1887, it was alleged that sailors from [[HMS Penelope (1867)|HMS Penelope]] stayed a night in the house.<ref name="haunted"/> By morning one was found dead, having tripped as he ran from the house.<ref name="haunted"/> The other reported having seen the ghost of Mr. Myers, approaching them aggressively.<ref name="haunted"/>
+No phenomena have been reported since the house was bought by the Maggs Brothers in the late 1930s<ref name="haunted"/> and, though many contemporary media outlets have reported happenings at the house, more recent investigators claim that nothing unusual has ever taken place there.<ref>{{cite news  | title = The Big Smoke – London's Urban Legends: From Ghosts to Nursery Rhymes, the Real Origins of the Capital's Myths| pages = 8| publisher=Time Out| date = 13 November 2008}}</ref> They remark that events in [[Edward Bulwer-Lytton]]'s story "The Haunted and the Haunters" bear a remarkable resemblance to the supposed hauntings at 50 Berkeley Square.<ref name="Rennison2007">{{cite book|author=Nick Rennison|title=The Book of Lists London|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vWOUed8CgPEC&pg=PA281|date=October 2007|publisher=Canongate|isbn=978-1-84195-934-4|page=281}}</ref>
-Modern interest in the site was spurred by its inclusion in [[Peter Underwood (parapsychologist)|Peter Underwood]]'s 1975 book, ''Haunted London''.<ref name="DaleSloan-Hendershott2004">{{cite book|author1=Alzina Stone Dale|author2=Barbara Sloan-Hendershott|title=Mystery Reader's Walking Guide: London|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kyXfTbVxYOQC&pg=PA117|accessdate=24 July 2011|date=6 April 2004|publisher=iUniverse|isbn=978-0-595-31513-0|pages=117–}}</ref>
+==Sceptical reception==
-No phenomena have been reported since the house was bought by the Maggs Brothers in the late 1930s<ref name="haunted"/> and though many contemporary media outlets reported happenings at the house, more recent investigators claim nothing unusual has ever taken place there.<ref>{{cite news  | title = The Big Smoke – London's urban legends; From ghosts to nursery rhymes, the real origins of the capital's myths| pages = 8| publisher=Time Out| date = 13 November 2008| url = }}</ref> They remark that [[Lord Lytton]]'s story "The Haunted and the Haunters" bears a remarkable resemblance to the supposed hauntings at 50 Berkeley Square.<ref name="Rennison2007">{{cite book|author=Nick Rennison|title=The book of lists London|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vWOUed8CgPEC&pg=PA281|accessdate=24 July 2011|date=October 2007|publisher=Canongate|isbn=978-1-84195-934-4|pages=281–}}</ref>
+[[File:Canning - 50 Berkeley Square Mayfair W1J 5BA.JPG|thumb|50 Berkeley Square today]]
+There were three sets of correspondence about 50 Berkeley Square in the journal ''[[Notes and Queries]]'', in 1872–73, 1879 and 1880–81. A common conclusion was that the neglect of the house had inspired the imaginative stories about hauntings.
+In her autobiography, published in 1906, [[Lady Dorothy Nevill]] stated that Mr Myers was a relative of hers. After he had lost his fiancée his behaviour "bordered upon lunacy" and he stayed in the house all day, becoming active at night, when he rambled about, making strange sounds.<ref name="Nevill"/> According to Nevill, the "old house would occasionally appear to be lit up at the dead of night". She considered that Myers's nocturnal activities had been misinterpreted by others as evidence of a ghost. She concluded that the haunting had no factual basis and that the "whole story was nonsense".<ref name="Nevill"/>
-==Skeptical reception==
+Modern researchers have suggested that the house was never haunted and that many of the stories were either exaggerated or invented by later writers.<ref name="Bondeson"/><ref name="Roud"/> For example, the claim that sailors entered the house in the 1870s was invented by [[Elliott O'Donnell]] and there is no evidence to confirm any part of the story.<ref name="Roud"/>
-There were three correspondences about 50 Berkeley Square in the ''[[Notes and Queries]]'' journal (1872-3, 1879, and 1880-1). Some of which concluded that the neglect of the house had inspired many imaginative stories about hauntings.
-In her 1906 autobiography, [[Lady Dorothy Nevill]] stated that "Mr. Myers" was a relative of hers. After losing his fiancé, his behaviour "bordered upon lunacy" and he stayed in the house all day, becoming active at nights where he would ramble about making strange sounds. According to Nevill the "old house would occasionally appear to be lit up at the dead of night." These nocturnal activities of Myers were considered by Nevill to have been misinterpreted by others as the result of a ghost. She concluded that the haunting had no factual basis and the "whole story was nonsense".<ref>[[Lady Dorothy Nevill|Nevill, Lady Dorothy]]. (1906). ''The Reminiscences of Lady Dorothy Nevill: Edited by Her Son Ralph Nevill ''. London: Edward Arnold. pp. 261-264</ref>
-Modern researchers have suggested that the house was never haunted and that many of the stories were either exaggerated or invented by later ghost-writers.<ref name="Bondeson"/><ref name="Roud"/> For example the claim that sailors entered the house in the 1870s was invented by [[Elliott O'Donnell]] and there is no evidence to confirm any part of the story.<ref name="Roud"/>
 ==References==
-{{reflist|2}}
+{{reflist}}
-==Further reading==
-*[[Charles George Harper]]. (1907). [https://archive.org/details/hauntedhousesta00harpgoog ''Haunted Houses: Tales of the Supernatural'']. London, Chapman & Hall, Ltd.
-*[[Lady Dorothy Nevill]]. (1906). [https://archive.org/stream/reminiscencesofl00neviuoft#page/261/mode/2up ''The Reminiscences of Lady Dorothy Nevill: Edited by Her Son Ralph Nevill'']. London: Edward Arnold.
 ==External links==
-* [http://www.scaryforkids.com/berkeley-square/ 50 Berkeley Square] Haunted House
+* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140122120101/http://www.walksoflondon.co.uk/37/50-berkeley-square-the-mo.shtml WalksOfLondon.co.uk – 50 Berkeley Square, The Most Haunted House In London]
-* [http://www.walksoflondon.co.uk/37/50-berkeley-square-the-mo.shtml WalksOfLondon.co.uk – 50 Berkeley Square, The Most Haunted House In London]
 {{Ghosts|state=collapsed}}
 {{coord|51|30|31.8|N|0|8|45.1|W|type:landmark_region:GB|display=title}}