50 Berkeley Square
Encyclopedia
50 Berkeley Square is a reportedly haunted townhouse
on Berkeley Square
in Mayfair
, in Central London. In the 1900s it became known as "The Most Haunted House in London"; mostly due to Peter Underwood
's description of the house in Haunted London.
, commemorated by a plaque on the house today. The house was then bought by the First Viscount Bearsted, who rented the property to one Mr Myers. It was later bought by BP.
Since 1937 the building has been occupied by Maggs Bros, a firm of antiquarian book dealers. In 1998 the building was thought to be the oldest unaltered building in London.
In the Victorian era at least two deaths were said to have occurred after people spent the night in the room. However, the first ghostly happenings were reported by George Canning, who claimed to have heard strange noises and have experienced psychic phenomena whilst living there.
After George Canning's residency in 1885, the house was bought by a Mr. Myers, who had recently been jilted by his fiancee. It was said that he would lock himself in the attic room and slowly went mad over the rest of his life. During his stay at the house, it fell into gross disrepair and it is during this time that its reputation began to build.
As a bet, in 1872, Lord Lyttleton stayed a night in the building's attic. He brought his shotgun
with him, and during the night fired at an apparition which had appeared. In the morning, he attempted to find what he had shot at, but could only find shotgun cartridges. 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 let off.
In 1879, Mayfair
reported that a maid who had stayed in the attic room had been found mad. It was later reported that she died in an asylum the day after. 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.
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.
In 1887, sailors from HMS Penelope
stayed a night in the house. By morning one was found dead, having tripped as he ran from the house. The other reported having seen the ghost of Mr. Myers, coming at them aggressively.
Victorian medium Florence Cook held a seance at the house and claimed to have contacted the spirits of those killed by the ghost.
No phenomenon have been reported since the house was bought by the Magg's Brothers in the mid 1930s and though many contemporary media outlets reported happenings at the house, more recent investigators claim nothing untowards has ever taken place there. They remark that Lord Lytton's story The Haunted and the Haunters – bears a remarkable resemblance to the supposed hauntings at 50 Berkeley Square.
Haunted house
A haunted house is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property...
on Berkeley Square
Berkeley Square
Berkeley Square is a town square in the West End of London, England, in the City of Westminster. It was originally laid out in the mid 18th century by architect William Kent...
in Mayfair
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
, in Central London. In the 1900s it became known as "The Most Haunted House in London"; mostly due to Peter Underwood
Peter Underwood (parapsychologist)
This article is about the English paranormalist. For the Chief Justice of Tasmania, see Peter Underwood .Peter Underwood FRSA is an English author, broadcaster and paranormalist. Underwood was born in Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire on May 16 1923. He is a prolific author on books covering...
's description of the house in Haunted London.
History and Occupants
The four-storey brick town house was constructed in the late eighteenth century. From 1770 to 1827 it was the home of British Prime Minister George CanningGeorge Canning
George Canning PC, FRS was a British statesman and politician who served as Foreign Secretary and briefly Prime Minister.-Early life: 1770–1793:...
, commemorated by a plaque on the house today. The house was then bought by the First Viscount Bearsted, who rented the property to one Mr Myers. It was later bought by BP.
Since 1937 the building has been occupied by Maggs Bros, a firm of antiquarian book dealers. In 1998 the building was thought to be the oldest unaltered building in London.
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. She purportedly threw herself from the top floor windows after being abused by her uncle; 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. One, 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.In the Victorian era at least two deaths were said to have occurred after people spent the night in the room. However, the first ghostly happenings were reported by George Canning, who claimed to have heard strange noises and have experienced psychic phenomena whilst living there.
After George Canning's residency in 1885, the house was bought by a Mr. Myers, who had recently been jilted by his fiancee. It was said that he would lock himself in the attic room and slowly went mad over the rest of his life. During his stay at the house, it fell into gross disrepair and it is during this time that its reputation began to build.
As a bet, in 1872, Lord Lyttleton stayed a night in the building's attic. He brought his shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
with him, and during the night fired at an apparition which had appeared. In the morning, he attempted to find what he had shot at, but could only find shotgun cartridges. 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 let off.
In 1879, Mayfair
Mayfair (magazine)
Mayfair is a British adult magazine for men. Founded in 1965, it was designed as a response to U.S. magazines such as Playboy and Penthouse, which had recently launched in the UK. For many years it claimed the largest distribution of any men's magazine in the UK.-Fisk Publishing era:Mayfair was...
reported that a maid who had stayed in the attic room had been found mad. It was later reported that she died in an asylum the day after. 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.
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.
In 1887, sailors from HMS Penelope
HMS Penelope
Nine ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Penelope, after the faithful wife Penelope of Greek mythology.* The first Penelope was a 24-gun sixth-rate launched in 1778 and captured by her Spanish prisoners in 1780....
stayed a night in the house. By morning one was found dead, having tripped as he ran from the house. The other reported having seen the ghost of Mr. Myers, coming at them aggressively.
Victorian medium Florence Cook held a seance at the house and claimed to have contacted the spirits of those killed by the ghost.
No phenomenon have been reported since the house was bought by the Magg's Brothers in the mid 1930s and though many contemporary media outlets reported happenings at the house, more recent investigators claim nothing untowards has ever taken place there. They remark that Lord Lytton's story The Haunted and the Haunters – bears a remarkable resemblance to the supposed hauntings at 50 Berkeley Square.
Further reading
- Charles George Harper, Haunted houses: tales of the supernatural, with some account of hereditary, London, Chapman & Hall, ltd., 1907.