The most haunted places in and around Mayfair

50 Berkeley Square is hands down one of the most haunted places in London. Once home to George Canning, the former prime minister, this storied property was spoken of in hushed tones across Victorian Mayfair society. Its attic was said to be home to the spirit of a young woman who took her own life there, or, in another telling, a little girl murdered by a cruel servant.

One terrified overnight guest was even said to have seen a warped apparition floating above his bed. He was so shocked that he supposedly never fully recovered. The more prosaic explanation? Thomas Myers, who lived there from 1859 to 1874, rarely went out by day, and in the evenings the house was lit up with strange noises coming from inside. Either way, its spooky reputation has never quite left this mysterious house.

Address: 50 Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London W1J 5BA

Across two centuries, two of music’s most legendary names lived next door to one another. George Frideric Handel, the celebrated German-British composer, spent 36 years at 25 Brook Street. He even composed Messiah there. In 2001, as the house was being prepared to open as the museum it is today, two individuals reported seeing a ghoul lurking in the shadows. One witness described seeing a woman. Shortly after, an exorcism was arranged.

Next door, at 23 Brook Street, Jimi Hendrix, who lived there from 1968-69, was convinced he glimpsed Handel's ghost in the mirror. Despite questions over Hendrix’s claim remaining (Handel never actually lived in his flat), ghostly lore still surrounds this spot.

Address: 25 Brook Street, Mayfair, London W1K 4HB

handelhendrix.org

Since 1819, Burlington Arcade has been one of Piccadilly's most elegant addresses, serving residents and tourists alike with antique jewellery, bespoke hats and macarons from Ladurée. Yet behind the glamour of one of London’s favourite arcades, it happens to be one of the most haunted places in Mayfair, where not every resident is a shopkeeper.

A poltergeist known as Percy is said to have haunted the arcade since 1953, and reportedly has a taste for visual merchandising. On one occasion, Percy supposedly rearranged a display of briefcases and handbags at the Unicorn Leather Company into a perfect semicircle. A poltergeist in the zeitgeist? Certainly has a ring to it. 

Address: 51 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 0QJ

burlingtonarcade.com

Fortnum & Mason has been a staple for grocery shopping since 1707. Yet despite the frivolity of choosing between a Chocolossus or a Toffolossus biscuit, it is said to be haunted by five notorious residents. The most mischievous of all is Gaius Backholder, the so-called ‘Phantom of the Bottle’, a poltergeist who supposedly haunts the wine crypt. It is alleged the ghoul sends bottles flying from the shelf. Certainly not the most helpful dinner party guest.

He could perhaps learn a lesson or two from the Grey Lady, who is said to gracefully drift up and down the red-carpeted staircases in a crinoline, mourning the love of her life who had died in 1847. Still, it’s probably best to keep a firm grip on your hamper.

Address: 181 Piccadilly, St James's, London W1A 1ER

fortnumandmason.com

Folklore has it that flowers struggle in Green Park as it sits on the burial ground of the old St James’s leper hospital. The stories of ghostly goings-on don’t stop there. Somewhere in the park stands the ‘Tree of Death’, said to repel dogs and birds.

Ghost hunter Peter Underwood once claimed two park attendants told him of a man’s voice, groans and a low laugh coming from it. A prank perhaps? Or some youngsters enjoying a jolly Saturday evening? Who knows. Stranger still, in 1696 Sir Henry Dutton Colt and Beau Fielding fought a duel here. Both survived, yet ghostly sounds of the clash are said to return every year on its anniversary, January 11.

For more than a century, 94 Piccadilly was home to the Naval and Military Club, and it seems one member never quite left. In March 1994, night porter Trevor Newton reported seeing a six-foot figure with swept-back white hair and a brown trench coat in the Egremont Room. Staff identified him as Major William Henry Braddell, known as ‘Perky’, who had been called downstairs to take a telephone call when a bomb struck the room, killing his dining companions. 

Little more than a week later, Major Braddell bore a similar fate, sadly dying in an air raid. Of course, the property is now being turned into a fabulous five-star hotel courtesy of Auberge Collection, due to open in February 2027, so perhaps the new luxury surroundings might see the spirits finally at peace.

Address: 94 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 7PB

auberge.com

The Haymarket’s most loyal patron died in 1879. John Baldwin Buckstone first trod its boards in 1833 and went on to manage the theatre from 1853 to 1877, turning it into a leading comedy house. A friend of Charles Dickens, he is said to still watch from the wings, especially during comedies.

Sightings have been claimed by Donald Sinden in 1949, Dame Margaret Rutherford in 1961 and Sir Patrick Stewart in 2009. Stewart’s came while performing Waiting for Godot alongside Sir Ian McKellen. Buckstone isn’t alone, either. A former manager, David Morris, is said to return for one night every decade. A friendly spirit by all accounts, Buckstone reportedly only appears when the show is going to be a success.

Address: 18 Suffolk Street, St James’s, London SW1Y 4HT

trh.co.uk

Did you know a certain royal palace also happens to be one of the most haunted places in London? In the early hours of May 31 1810, the Duke of Cumberland was attacked in his bed at St James’s Palace. His valet, Joseph Sellis, was later found dead in his own room. His throat had been slit. The Duke claimed Sellis had tried to assassinate him and then took his own life, though many allege it was indeed the Duke who had murdered him.

The authorities supposedly quietly let the matter drop. Today, Sellis is said to still haunt the palace, lying across blood-soaked sheets. Credible eyewitness accounts are hard to come by, but with a story like that, who needs them?

Address: Marlborough Road, St James’s, London SW1A 1BQ

rct.uk

In the mid-1930s, writer and ghost hunter James Wentworth Day took a lease on 2 King Street, a house dating back to Charles II. On his first day in his new pad, Day had a faint feeling that something was staring at him from the bedroom fireplace. Hard times swiftly followed: he lost his job, a former flatmate was killed in a car crash and his marriage failed.

Soon after, his goddaughter saw a strangled man bound to a chair in his bedroom. Folklore suggests it may have even been a valet who had witnessed the Sellis affair. The goddaughter’s mother urged Day to leave at once, and he did. It wasn’t long until a German bomb destroyed the house during World War Two, finally putting the hauntings to rest.

Address: 2 King Street, St James’s, London SW1Y 6QP

Slightly north-east of Mayfair sits one of London’s finest hotels, The Langham, and none of its neighbours can match it for ghostly notoriety. Room 333 is said to be haunted by a Victorian doctor who killed his new bride there on their wedding night.

Even England’s cricketers weren’t spared. During the 2014 Lord’s Test against Sri Lanka, Stuart Broad asked to change rooms after his bathroom taps began switching themselves on and off. He also woke at 1.30am convinced there was a presence in the room, while Ben Stokes struggled to sleep on the troubled third floor. Perhaps the lost sleep took its toll; it was Broad who bowled the final over as Sri Lanka’s last man hung on for a draw. You would think the ghosts at The Langham would at the very least want an English victory?

Address: 1C Portland Place, Regent Street, Marylebone, London W1B 1JA

langhamhotels.com