Write an Email
ShareWelcome, brave souls, to the beating black heart of London. Smithfield Market is where centuries of bloodshed soak into the very cobblestones that spawn an army of restless spirits that refuse to stay dead.
This isn’t your typical ghost tour of London. Here, nightmares come to life, and the past sets out to haunt the present.
The Most Haunted Square Mile in London
Step into Smithfield Market and you’re treading on what might be considered one of the most haunted places in London.
With nearly a millennium of horrors packed into this small area, the spirits here scream for attention. Every ghost tour in London worth its salt makes this their crown jewel stop, and for good reason.
The sheer concentration of supernatural activity here makes other haunted locations look like a pre-school afterparty.
A Butcher’s Paradise Built on Blood
For over 400 years, the Smithfield meat market served as London’s prime killing ground. That goes for people as well as animals.
This smooth field (from which its name derives) became a blood-soaked amphitheatre where public executions drew cheering crowds like twisted sporting events. The screams of the dying mingled with the bellowing of cattle. You might even hear that agonising symphony echoing through the night air today.
William Wallace met his grisly end here in 1305, enduring the medieval triple-threat of hanging, drawing, and quartering. But Wallace was just the opening act.
The real horror show began when Bloody Mary Tudor turned Smithfield into her personal barbecue pit, roasting 48 Protestant martyrs alive between 1553-1558. The flames that consumed these poor souls apparently still flicker in the darkness.
On your London ghost tour, don’t be surprised when you see mysterious lights dancing where the stakes once stood.
The Meat-Stealing Spectre of 1654
Here’s where things get deliciously creepy! Meet Mallet the Lawyer, Smithfield’s most notorious ghostly resident. This undead attorney doesn’t haunt courtrooms; he terrorises butcher shops.
Every Saturday night between 9 and 10 PM, Mallet materialises complete with horns on his head and a meat cleaver in his ghostly grip.
This phantom thief successfully turned meat-snatching into an art form. He swipes prime cuts right from under the noses of furious butchers who chase him with their own cleavers, only to slice through thin air.
Legend says that if you wave a leg of lamb outside a Smithfield butcher shop at midnight, Mallet will appear to snatch it from your trembling hands. Talk about fast food…
London’s Ghost Central Station
Adjacent to the market stands St. Bartholomew the Great, officially crowned as London’s most haunted church. This 12th-century house of worship quickly became a supernatural subway station where spirits check in but never check out.
Rahere, the church’s founder, tops the ghostly guest list. This hobbling holy man lost his foot bones to a sticky-fingered Victorian workman during tomb renovations. Now Rahere’s ghost limps through the aisles every July 1st at 7 AM sharp, desperately searching for his missing appendage.
You may even hear the distinctive thump-drag-thump of his one-footed gait echoing through the ancient stones.
But Rahere’s anything but a lonely spirit. William Hogarth wanders the cloisters, probably sketching ghostly caricatures of the other spirits. The Duke of Argyll makes regular appearances, along with a mysterious, luminous woman who glides down the central aisle like she’s strutting down a supernatural runway.
And let’s not forget the shapeless masses emanating pure evil that float through the chapels. Because apparently, even formless entities need their church time.
The Cock Lane Sensation
Just a stone’s throw from Smithfield Market lies Cock Lane, where London’s most sensational ghost story unfolded in 1762. Meet Scratching Fanny, the ghost who turned a simple haunting into the 18th century’s biggest supernatural scandal.
This chatty spirit used a knock-based communication system. One knock for yes, two for no. And boy, did she have stories to tell. Fanny accused her former lover, William Kent, of poisoning her with arsenic instead of letting smallpox do the job. The accusations flew faster than the ghostly knocks, and soon all of London was lining up to witness the supernatural soap opera.
The twist? Little Elizabeth Parsons was the mastermind behind the whole spooky charade, manipulating audiences with hidden knocking while crowds paid admission to witness the otherworldly drama. Even though the hoax was eventually exposed, the legend of Scratching Fanny refuses to die, much like the ghost herself.
Modern Ghost Tour London Alternatives
Today’s thrill-seekers flock to Smithfield Market on pro haunted London expeditions that bring these ancient horrors to life. It’s undeniable that this location consistently delivers the most supernatural activity of any stop.
Ghostly encounters might include:
- Phantom footsteps that follow visitors through empty market corridors
- Doors slamming with no earthly explanation
- Apparitions in period clothing materialise near the execution sites
- Electronic equipment going haywire during paranormal investigations
- Sulfurous odours that suddenly fill the air (brimstone and burning flesh, anyone?)
A low sun in the evening sky or a cloudy, moonlit night brings chills and excitement to anyone looking for a paranormal experience.
Healing Meets Haunting
The adjacent, nearly 900-year-old, adds its own supernatural seasoning to the area. The Grey Lady haunts the hospital corridors. She’s a 19th-century nurse who accidentally overdosed a patient and then took her own life in despair.
Modern nurses report feeling phantom touches on their shoulders when they’re about to make medication errors, as if the Grey Lady is still trying to prevent medical mistakes from beyond the grave.
Then there’s the Coffin Lift, a malfunctioning elevator where a nurse met her violent end at the hands of a deranged patient. This demonic device ignores button presses and drags unsuspecting passengers to the basement, where doors open to reveal nothing but inky blackness and the lingering scent of death.
London’s Underground Horror Show
Beneath your feet as you explore Smithfield Market lie the plague pits. These mass graves are stuffed with victims of the Black Death. Archaeological excavations uncovered layers upon layers of bodies, over 700 souls stacked like cordwood in communal graves.
Recent DNA analysis confirms the presence of the plague bacterium in their teeth and bones, scientific proof of the medieval nightmare that unfolded here.
These underground cities of the dead add an extra chill to any ghost tour London experience. You can feel the ground pulse beneath your feet, as if the thousands of plague victims still restlessly shift in their eternal sleep.
Join the Supernatural Adventure
Smithfield Market earns its reputation as the crown jewel of any haunted London itinerary. Guides bring these foul tales to life with masterful storytelling that makes ancient horrors feel frighteningly real.
Whether you’re a sceptic or a true believer, Smithfield Market delivers supernatural thrills that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about the afterlife.
The sheer concentration of paranormal activity here creates an atmosphere where the veil between worlds grows dangerously thin.
So gather your courage, grab your fellow ghost hunters, and prepare for an experience that will haunt your dreams long after you’ve left these blood-soaked streets behind.
In Smithfield Market, the dead don’t rest, and they’re dying for you to join.