Latest
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Wandsworth’s Orphanage of Horrors: The Royal Victoria Patriotic Asylum for Girls
The Royal Victoria Patriotic Asylum for Girls was founded in 1859 through the Royal Patriotic Fund to house and train daughters of soldiers and sailors killed in the Crimean War. Behind its grand Gothic façade, many girls endured harsh discipline, cold dormitories, neglect, and abuse instead of the care they deserved.
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The City of London’s Ghostly Catfight
Greyfriar’s in the City of London is reputedly haunted by two women locked in a bitter rivalry. Despite their ghostly feud, they never met in life, having been born 200 years apart. Their restless spirits are said to haunt the site, fuelling eerie tales of unresolved conflict.
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Rev. James Pound: The Inspiration Behind James Bradley, the 3rd Astronomer Royal
2025 marks 350 years of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. While Halley, Bradley, Flamsteed, and Dyson are famous, many contributors like Rev. James Pound remain forgotten. Yet their work was vital, accelerating discoveries in astronomy. Honouring these overlooked figures reminds us that great achievements rely on many unsung heroes.
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Step Back in Time: The Dual-Minute Clock of Bristol’s Historic Corn Exchange
In the centre of Bristol, there stands on Corn Street, a handsome and richly decorated Georgian building. This building which once housed the Bristol Corn Exchange has a very unusual feature – a clock with dual-minute hands.
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‘Sleep Tight – Don’t Let Anything Bite!’ – The Great Bed of Ware
Arguably, one of the most visited and famous objects in the V&A, is the Great Bed of Ware. Looking at it you might ask Why? It’s just a bed. However, peel back the covers and the history and folklore surrounding the bed will reveal how truly special it is.
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The Mystery of Transi Tombs in Medieval England
Medieval Transi/Cadaver tombs are shockingly macabre. They depict a sculpture of the deceased in an advanced state of decomposition, sunken eyes, prominent ribs, even covered in toads, snakes and vermin. Who chose this type of memorial and what do they symbolise?
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A Warning to the Curious: Beware The Simonside Dwarves, Kelpies & Grindylows
In many places in the British Isles, you’ll find legends telling of frightening supernatural creatures, who seek to harm humans. These creatures often inhabit lonesome, desolate or dangerous places. Many of these stories sought to warn people to take care, as you never know who or what you’ll meet.
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The Ouseburn Murder and the Macabre Afterlife of Charles Smith
Charles Smith was hanged for murder in Newcastle Upon Tyne in 1817, but that wasn’t the end of his story. Find out more about the macabre afterlife of Charles Smith and listen to Lenora chat about it on the Voices from the North East Podcast.
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The Actress and the Cursed Jacket
Dame Thora Hird was one of the most respected and admired British actress of the last century. However, one curious footnote in her life links her to a very unusual ghost story — a haunted bolero. But did it actually happen or is it merely an urban legend?
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Mummy Unrolling in Nineteenth Century Britain: Science or Spectacle?
Napoleon’s Campaign in Egypt in the 1790s kick started a wave of Egyptomania in Europe. One offshoot of this trend that took hold in nineteenth-century Britain was the macabre fad for mummy unrolling parties. But what was a mummy unrolling party, and was it science or spectacle?
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Tattershall’s ‘Tom Thumb’
Right next to the magnificent Tattershall Castle in the village of Tattershall, Lincolnshire, stands the fifteenth-century Holy Trinity Church. Inside, there is a small grave, just 16 inches wide and inscribed with the words, ‘T. Thumb/Aged 101/Died1620’. Could this be the grave of the Tom Thumb of fairy tales?
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The Origin of the Picnic: How Amateur Dramatics, Hard Drinking, and the French Revolution, got Britons Hooked on the Humble Picnic
The Pic Nic Society took early nineteenth century London by storm. Set up by French Emigres and a clique of upper-class British Francophiles, it shocked society with its excesses. It also introduced the picnic to Britons, turning it into a favourite summer pastime for all classes of society.
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The Fen Tigers: Rebels of the Reeds
South east England’s wild marshy fenlands have been home to a unique and insular community for centuries. Scratching a living on the margins of society, they lived off the land and fought for their way of life, becoming known as the Fen Tigers.
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Rags to Riches: The Elopement of Bessie Surtees and John Scott, a Newcastle Love Story
In the eighteenth century, Newcastle-upon-Tyne was the unlikely scene of a dramatic elopement that could have been written by Jane Austen. Bessie Surtees’ romance with John Scott is the stuff of legend, but is it more than just a tall tale, and did it have a happily ever after?
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Heralding the Spring: The Witches Dance of Germany
On the night of the 30 April / 1 May every year in Germany, a very special festival takes place: Hexennacht, which translates as Witches’ Night. The most well-known of these celebrations can be found in Bavaria and on Mt. Brocken in the Harz mountain range in North Germany.
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The Tales of the Wise Men of Gotham
The legend surrounding the village of Gotham began in the early thirteenth century when villagers acted the fool to avoid a King. But soon tall tales of the foolish men of Gotham proliferated. Find our more about this quirky folklore tradition..
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Memento Mori: Victorian Post-Mortem Photography
FROM OUR ARCHIVES: ~A note to the faint-hearted: this post contains photographs of dead people ~
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Taking the Plunge: February 29, a Leap into the Unknown
Leap years, every four years, add a unique twist to love stories. On February 29, women can break tradition and propose to their ideal man. Explore the origins of this custom and its connection to red petticoats, while discovering why leap years pose challenges for Scottish farmers, peas, and beans.
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Lady Janet Anstruther (Jenny Fall): Siren of Land and Sea
For centuries the sea was a place of terror not leisure. This all began to change in the eighteenth century. One early adopter of this trend was beautiful Lady Janet Anstruther. Reputedly descended from Gipsy royalty, she became infamous for her love of skinny dipping.
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The Fireplaces that Saved a Nation
Tattershall Castle, with its rose red walls, turrets and crenelations, looks eternal. However, in the early twentieth century it was in disrepair and its fate uncertain. Find out how the fireplaces of Tattershall Castle helped save it for the nation and ensure protection for all of Britain’s historic monuments.
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The Hobby Horse, A Midwinter Tradition Revived
Midwinter may seem like a strange time to look at the British folk tradition of the hobby horse, which is often associated with May Day celebrations. However, there is another, possibly older, tradition that takes place at Midwinter and across the twelve days of Christmas.
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The Mystery of a World War I Ghost Ship: The S.V. Zebrina
On the 17 October 1917, a schooner, the S.V. Zebrina was found aground off of the French coast. On boarding they were surprised to find the table set, a fire burning, but no sign of her crew. What happened to the Zebrina’s crew remains to this day an unsolved mystery.
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WGW: Whitby Goth Weekend October 2023
Whitby is a quaint seaside town in North Yorkshire. It’s main claim to fame used to be Dracula. In the 1990’s it became home to the Whitby Goth Weekend, a celebration of Goth music. More recently, WGW has become famous for the amazing costumes on parade. Here are some highlights from the weekend.
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Haunted Isles: 13 Ghost Stories from the British Isles
It’s that time of year again, the leaves are falling from the trees, the nights are drawing in, and coffee shops are pungent with pumpkin spice. Halloween is here! What better time to take a swift tour around these haunted islands. Join us as we select 13 of our favourite spooky tales from Scotland, England,…
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Sin-eaters: Selfless Saviours or the Walking Damned
Sin-eaters are described as people hired to assume the sins of a dead person by eating food placed near the corpse. Why did society feel the need for such a service and why would a person choose to accept a role which was viewed with such revulsion?
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The Great London Beer Flood of 1814
In 1814, London experienced one of the most bizarre disasters in British history. An unfortunate chain of events at the Horseshoe Brewery led to the death of 8 women and children as they were caught up in London’s Great Beer Flood. But, what really happened? And, did Londoners really get drunk, as beer flowed on…
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The Rat in the Skull: The Mystery of William Longespée’s Tomb
In the late eighteenth century Salisbury Cathedral underwent an extensive renovation. As part of this process the tomb of a famous medieval knight, William Longespee, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, and son of King Henry II, was broken open. What the builders found inside was both horrific and mysterious, and would lead to centuries of speculation…
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Seaton Delaval Hall: The White Lady and Jack
Seaton Delaval Hall lies near the Northumbrian Coast, not far from the former mining villages of Seaton Sluice and New Hartley. The house is spectacular, with a central block flanked by two enveloping wings that reach out and embrace the visitor. It was home to the Delaval family, an extraordinary family that earned the name…
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Ann Nailor: The Screaming Spectre of Farringdon Station
The ‘Screaming Spectre’ haunts London’s Farringdon Station, renowned for its terrifying scream frightening both passengers and staff waiting for the last train. Though the chilling cry terrifies those who hear it, the underlying truth behind the ‘haunting’ reveals a far more disturbing reality that you could ever imagine.
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The Thieves’ Accomplice: The Hand of Glory
Whitby Museum holds a macabre artefact used in folk-magic, a withered human hand. So, what is the truth behind the mummified hand, held in Whitby, why does the Hand of Glory occupy such a precarious position between fact and fiction and why did the myth around the dried and pickled hands of hanged criminals take…
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Halloween News from the Haunted Palace Blog
Out Now: The Haunted Mirror – Volume 2 Here at the Haunted Palace Blog we’ve been busily preparing for our favourite time of year, Halloween! The second volume of our Haunted Palace Blog Collection, The Haunted Mirror -Volume 2 is out and is available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon, we’ve also dropped the price…
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Canewdon: The Village Where Witchfinders Feared to Tread…
FROM THE HAUNTED PALACE ARCHIVE
