50 Berkeley Square, Chilling London Haunting?

There Were Many Fantastic Rumors and Articles Written

Jun 4, 2009

In the 1800s, the townhouse was known as the most haunted building in London, primarily due to press coverage. A psychical researcher and a writer had theories.

The building at 50 Berkeley Square dates back to the 1740s. Prime Minister George Canning lived there until his death in 1827, though his ghost isn’t believed to be one of the haunters. Some think the haunting began in 1830 when a young woman allegedly jumped to her death from an upstairs window.

Tales About 50 Berkeley Square

Lord Lyttelton was said to have spent the night in the haunted room, armed with two shot guns. During the night, something attacked him and he shot it. The only alleged evidence was buckshot holes in the floor. The house had a reputation of being haunted and rumors were rife; in the 1800s. Lyttelton died in 1779.

Elliot O' Donnell wrote about two sailors who broke into the empty house and stayed in the haunted room. The Thing burst into the room and strangled one. The other escaped. There are two different endings to this story. One is that the man jumped or was pushed from the house and impaled on a wrought iron fence or he was found, in the basement with a broken neck.

Sir Robert Warboys spent the night in the haunted room. The landlord agreed, but Warboys would have a pistol and pull a cord in the landlord’s room if he saw the thing. The bell rang and the landlord found Warboys with the smoking gun, dead, but there was a hole in the opposite wall.

Harry Price Investigates 50 Berkeley Square

In the 1920s, this psychical researcher found much information about the history of the house and phenomena.

In the 1790s, counterfeiters used Berkeley as their headquarters. Price theorized that the criminals invented the ghost to disguise the noises of their presses. This didn't explain why the sounds were heard decades after they left.

In 1840, neighbors of number 50 Berkeley Square heard a medley of strange sounds emanating from the haunted house; bumps on the stairs, dragging noises as if heavy objects were being moved around, jangling of signal bells below the stairs, and the tramping of footsteps.

50 Berkeley Square Haunting Theories

Charles G Harper, investigated the house in his book, Haunted Houses. The house had belonged to Mr. Du Pre who his insane brother in one of the attic rooms. The man was so violent that he could only be fed through a hole. His rantings were heard by the neighbors. When the brother died, his ghost remained.

In 1859, the eccentric recluse Mr. Meyers leased the house for his fiancé and himself and began to furnish it to please her. She eloped with another man. He became depressed and lived in a garret room, allowing only a manservant to come to the door to give him food.

At night, Myers prowled about the house restlessly. He neglected his responsibilities. The house fell into disrepair. In 1873, the local council sued Myers for not paying taxes. He failed to appear in court. Officials didn’t prosecute him because the house was known to be haunted.

Price continued to research the history of number 50, and learned that the house had been empty for long periods, although the address was one of the most desirable ones in London. Why had the house been left vacant for so long? Did rumors scared off prospective occupants, or had a ghost frightened them? Price could not answer this, nor could he draw any firm conclusions to the case other a poltergeist had been active in the 1800s. He doubted that it was still there.

Today, booksellers, the Maggs Brothers, occupy the property. After over thirty years of being there, they’ve seen no evidence of a ghost.

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The copyright of the article 50 Berkeley Square, Chilling London Haunting? in Ghosts & Hauntings is owned by Jill Stefko . Permission to republish 50 Berkeley Square, Chilling London Haunting? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.