Come on boys and ghouls! It's time to hop on Route 666 for a spooktacular Paranormal Road Trip.
This week's stop is London and our special guide is Brooklyn Ann the author of SCANDALS WITH BITE vampire paranormal romance series.
Brooklyn Ann's Top 5 Spooky Places in London
Hello everyone, I’m Brooklyn Ann, and I’m going to share some creepy places in London, the setting of my historical paranormal romance, BITE AT FIRST SIGHT.
Saint Pancras Old Churchyard
I've included this one because it features heavily in my series. Believed to be the oldest center of Christian worship, the church was actually moved in the 14th century. It was the burial place of many historical figures, including writers William Godwin, Feminist Mary Wollstonecraft and Dr. John Polidori. Mary Shelley and Percy Shelley allegedly had meetings at her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft's grave to plan their elopement. As for Polidori's burial, there's a fun scene about in my first book, BITE ME, YOUR GRACE.
Charles Dickens also mentions the graveyard in A TALE OF TWO CITIES as a frequent site for grave robbers who took cadavers for physicians to study.
Which is interesting because BITE AT FIRST SIGHT opens with my heroine, aspiring physician, Cassandra Burton doing just that. Unfortunately, Rafael Villar, interim Lord Vampire of London catches her and mistakes her for a vampire hunter. And that's when the fun begins.
Bleeding Heart Yard
Originally part of Hatton Garden, the courtyard got its name from the murder of the second wife of Sir William Hatton. According to legend, Lady Hatton was dancing with a stranger and stepped outside with him to view the gardens. She never came back in and later she was discovered "torn limb from limb, but with her heart still pumping blood."
Hunterian Medical Museum
This one isn't haunted. Just creepy. A museum was founded by the Royal College of Surgeons which displays the artifacts of Surgeon, John Hunter.
Lots of creepy stuff, which my heroine, Cassandra would doubtless find fascinating.
I'll let the images speak for themselves.
The Spaniard's Inn
Since the hero in BITE AT FIRST SIGHT is known as “The Spaniard,” I had to include this one.
Built in 1585, the inn was a notorious hangout for highwaymen. In fact, it is said that the father of infamous highwayman, Dick Turpin, had been a landlord for a time. Down the road from the inn there used to be a tree where many highwaymen were hung.
The Inn got its name either from a visit from the Spanish Ambassador, or from two Spanish landlords who fell in love with the same woman and dueled over her. The loser of the duel is said to haunt the inn. Other ghosts mentioned are a woman in white and the spirit of Dick Turpin.
Romantic poets, Lord Byron and John Keats (both mentioned in my series) used to hang out there and allegedly, Keats penned my favorite poem , Ode to a Nightingale, in the gardens.
Charles Dickens and Bram Stoker also mentioned the Spaniard's Inn in their books.
Tower of London
Built by William the Conqueror in 1078, The Tower of London is considered to be one of the most haunted places in England. One of the first ghosts to be spotted there was Thomas Beckett, a priest who was murdered right at the Traitor's gate.
Other ghosts include Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, Arbella Stuart, Princes Edward V and Richard (who'd mysteriously vanished in the tower until their skeletons were discovered beneath a staircase) and even whole squadrons of spectral soldiers.
Apparently the BBC filmed a paranormal investigation of the hauntings in the Tower back in 2001. I don't know about you, but I'm going to see if I can find it online or to rent somewhere!
Thank you Brooklyn Ann for giving us such a haunting tour of London!
To learn more about Brooklyn Ann and her books, please visit her website. You can add the Scandals with Bite series here on Goodreads.
Have you ever experienced anything spooky in London? I know that I had a few scares and thrills when visiting the Tower of London. *shivers*
What did you think of Brooklyn Ann's picks for spooky places?
Last week on Paranormal Road Trip we visited London with Pippa DaCosta. Next week we'll be traveling to Maradaine with Marshall Ryan Maresca.
Join us for another spine-tingling Paranormal Road Trip...
if you dare!
if you dare!
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