Courtesy of Wikipedia: Charles George Harper. (1907). Haunted Houses: Tales of the Supernatural. Chapman & Hall, Ltd.
Like a good ghost story? Of course you do.
Find your way to 50 Berkely Square and stand back to observe. The building dates from the early 18th century and since Victorian times had the reputation as being the most haunted house in London.
All the ghost stories centre around the house’s attic. Ready?
One concerns a young woman who threw herself from the window after being abused by her uncle and her ghostly spirit is said to appear in the form of a brown mist.
Another tells of a little girl who was murdered by a sadistic servant and her white figure haunts the room.
Then there’s the tale of the Du Prey brothers who lived in the house, one of whom was an alleged lunatic, locked in the attic and fed through a hole in the door until he died.
And another of a maidservant who forced to live in the attic, succumbed to madness crying out “don’t let it touch me!”
Probably the most chilling account is about a nobleman called Lord Lyttleton who hearing the ghostly stories, decided to spend a night in the haunted room for a dare. He took a pistol with him and told servants that they should only come up if they heard two rings of the bell. One bell sounded at midnight followed by furious ringing and a gunshot. The servants ran to the attic to find Lord Lyttleton dead. He’d thrown himself down the stairs with a look of pure shock on his face.
If you don’t fancy making an appointment to spend time in the attic (and I don’t blame you) just put your hand on the outer walls of the building. Apparently, the house is so charged with physic activity that just a touch of the exterior sends a shock wave through you.