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50 Berkeley Square

Coordinates: 51°30′31.8″N 0°8′45.1″W / 51.508833°N 0.145861°W / 51.508833; -0.145861
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50 Berkeley Square is a reportedly 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 .[1] Modern interest in the site was spurred by its inclusion in Peter Underwood's 1975 book, Haunted London.[2]

History and occupants

The four-story brick townhouse was constructed in the late eighteenth/early nineteenth century.[3] Until 1827 it was the home of British Prime Minister George Canning, commemorated by a plaque on the house today. The house was then bought by the Viscount Bearsted, who rented the property to one Mr. Myers.[4] It was later bought by BP.[4]

From 1937 to 2015,[5] the building was occupied by Maggs Bros, a firm of antiquarian book dealers.[1] In 1998 the building was thought to be the oldest unaltered building in London.[6]

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.[7] She purportedly threw herself from a top floor window after being abused by her uncle;[8] 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.[9] 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.[10] 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.[11] The first ghostly happenings were reported by George Canning, who claimed to have heard strange noises and have experienced psychic phenomena whilst living there.[7]

After George Canning's residency in 1885, the house was bought by a Mr. Myers, who had recently been jilted by his fiancee.[7] It was said that he would lock himself in the room and slowly went mad over the rest of his life.[8] During his stay at the house, it fell into gross disrepair and it is during this time that its reputation began to build.[7][8]

As a bet, in 1872, Lord Lyttleton stayed a night in the building's attic.[9] 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.[9] 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.[12]

In 1879, The Mayfair Magazine reported that a maid who had stayed in the attic room had been found mad.[8] It was later reported that she died in an asylum the day after.[7] 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.[7]

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.[13]

In 1887, sailors from HMS Penelope stayed a night in the house.[7] By morning one was found dead, having tripped as he ran from the house.[7] The other reported having seen the ghost of Mr. Myers, approaching them aggressively.[7]

No phenomena have been reported since the house was bought by the Maggs Brothers in the late 1930s[7] and though many contemporary media outlets reported happenings at the house, more recent investigators claim nothing unusual has ever taken place there.[14] They remark that Lord Lytton's story "The Haunted and the Haunters" bears a remarkable resemblance to the supposed hauntings at 50 Berkeley Square.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b Richard Jones, Walking Haunted London, New Holland Publishers Ltd; 4th edition (28 September 2007), p.69
  2. ^ Alzina Stone Dale; Barbara Sloan-Hendershott (6 April 2004). Mystery Reader's Walking Guide: London. iUniverse. pp. 117–. ISBN 978-0-595-31513-0. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
  3. ^ E. Randall Floyd (October 2002). In the Realm of Ghosts and Hauntings. Harbor House. pp. 29–. ISBN 978-1-891799-06-8. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
  4. ^ a b Gray, Chris (14 April 2001). "PROPERTY TYCOONS IN BIDDING WAR FOR EXCLUSIVE ADDRESS". The Independent. UK. p. 9.
  5. ^ http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/9f677a3a-9e69-11e5-8ce1-f6219b685d74.html#slide0
  6. ^ Jenkins, Simon (27 November 1998). "A most fitting conclusion". The Times. UK.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Floyd, Randall (19 July 1998). "SUPERNATURAL OCCURRENCES FILL HOUSE'S PAST". The Augusta Chronicle. pp. E2.
  8. ^ a b c d Cheung, Theresa (2006). The Element Encyclopedia of the Psychic World. Harper Element. p. 210. ISBN 978-0-00-721148-7.
  9. ^ a b c Dave (11 August 2007). "The Saturday Strangeness". Londonist.
  10. ^ Watts, Peter (26 October 2005). "Haunted London – City of the dead". Time Out. p. 14.
  11. ^ Masey, Anthea (24 October 2007). "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". The Evening Standard. UK. p. 8.
  12. ^ Heather Ludgate (19 November 2007). London Laid Bare. Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie Pu. pp. 131–. ISBN 978-1-84386-319-9. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
  13. ^ Jones, Richard (31 October 2006). "Haunted Britain". Independent Extra. p. 24.
  14. ^ "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.
  15. ^ Nick Rennison (October 2007). The book of lists London. Canongate. pp. 281–. ISBN 978-1-84195-934-4. Retrieved 24 July 2011.

Further reading

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

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