Ghosts, Gore & Other Ghasty Stories in the City of London

Bank Station sits above one of London’s most haunted corners, and this walk quickly proves that the City’s polished financial district has a grim side. Behind the neoclassical stone and office towers are lost rivers, hanging sites, old prisons, body snatchers, and stories of ghosts that refuse to leave.

I like the private format, which lets you stop for questions and move at your own pace. I also like the mix of famous places and small details, from the Bank of England’s alleged robbery to the strange job of the Human Lavatory. The main drawback is that the tour is story-led, so anyone wanting a formal visit inside major buildings may find the experience too much about streetside narration.

Key points to know before booking

• Start beneath Bank Station: The tour begins in London’s financial heart, where underground tunnels and old buildings provide the first ghost stories.
• Five compact stops: The route runs from Bank through Cheapside and Paternoster Square to Holy Sepulchre Church and Smithfield Market.
• Ross leads with humor: His style combines local history, gruesome tales, questions, and occasional film-location surprises.
• A true private walk: Your group alone joins the guide, with space to shape the pace and focus.
• Budget for a pub stop: Drinks and food are not included, but pubs along the way offer a natural break.
• Best for curious walkers: You need to be comfortable taking part in a 2 to 3 hour city walk with little formal admission included.

Why this City of London walk feels different

Many London ghost walks rely on atmosphere alone. This one gets its effect from the streets themselves. You begin among banks, stations, and office buildings, then learn what occupied the same ground before modern London took shape.

That contrast is the real attraction. You might be standing outside a major financial institution while hearing about a ghost tied to the building, or walking along Cheapside while learning about a buried waterway and a grisly discovery of human skulls. The City is compact, but its past is not tidy.

Ross is the named guide associated with this experience. His approach, based on the available tour details, leans toward lively storytelling rather than a dry lecture. He has also led walks about Roman London, filming locations, and other City subjects, so you can expect plenty of side facts if your group enjoys asking questions.

The mood is spooky, but not relentlessly bleak. Humor matters here. Tales of executions and body snatching sit beside curious local trivia, which keeps the walk from becoming a long march through misery.

Bank Station and the Bank of England

The meeting point is Bank Station in the Bank and Monument complex on Princes Street. This is a useful starting place because you are immediately in the historic core of the City, but it can also be confusing. Bank is a large underground interchange, so allow enough time to find your group and guide.

The opening story concerns why the station below your feet may be London’s most haunted. That is an effective start: you are not waiting for the supernatural to appear in a dark alley. You are already standing above a busy transport hub.

The walk then connects the station to the Bank of England. You will hear about the ghost associated with the bank and the only time the building has allegedly been robbed. The wording matters. This is a tale of legend and local lore, not a courtroom lecture, and Ross appears to enjoy that uncertain line between documented event and spooky tradition.

This stop also gives you a chance to look up. The City is full of grand stone buildings and formal streets, and the tour uses them as scenery without turning into a standard architecture walk. Bring a camera if you like neoclassical façades. You will have plenty of good street views, even though the main focus is the story.

Cheapside, lost rivers, and a very odd job

From Bank, the route moves toward Cheapside. The name is familiar to many people, but the details beneath it are less so. Here you learn about one of the City’s two lost rivers, a reminder that London’s modern streets often cover waterways that shaped earlier settlement.

The tale of the human skulls gives this section its strongest shock. It is the sort of detail that changes the way you see an ordinary pavement. Instead of passing through a shopping street, you begin to imagine the layers below it.

Cheapside also supplies stories about punishment and public spectacle. You will hear why a priest was hanged here and what the role of the Human Lavatory involved. That last subject sounds almost comic, but it points to the unpleasant practical work that kept medieval streets functioning.

This is one of the tour’s better sections for people who like social history. You are not only hearing about kings, churches, and grand buildings. You are hearing about public sanitation, crime, punishment, and the people who performed jobs most residents would rather avoid.

The route is relatively short in distance, but do not expect to race through it. The private format gives you room to stop, ask what a place looked like in earlier centuries, or follow a side question. If you are with a group of 15, remember that a private walk of this size may move more slowly than a small-group tour.

Paternoster Square and London’s harsher laws

Paternoster Square offers a change of setting. The area is now associated with modern redevelopment and grand views near St Paul’s Cathedral, but the tour looks back to a time when this part of the City was home to printers.

That detail makes the stop more than a quick photo opportunity. You get a sense of working London, including the trades and crowded conditions that shaped medieval life. The stories focus on what happened when people broke the law, so expect accounts of punishments rather than a polished account of literary London.

You will also see the last City Gate and learn about the grim display that greeted people entering London. This is a strong example of how the walk uses specific places to explain old attitudes toward crime and authority. The City did not hide punishment away. It made a public example of it.

Paternoster Square is also one of the better spots for photographs. You can fill your camera with stone façades and formal architecture while listening to stories that are far less elegant than the surroundings. That mix of beauty and brutality runs through the whole experience.

Holy Sepulchre Church and the breakfast-time hanging

The next stop is Holy Sepulchre Church, where the stories become closely tied to prisons, hangings, and ghosts. The church has a connection to one of England’s most notorious jails, and the tour brings in the legend of the Black Dog that haunted its walls.

The Black Dog is exactly the kind of tale that suits this route. It connects a real place to a repeated local story, leaving you to decide how much is folklore and how much is something harder to explain. You are not asked to accept every ghost as fact. The fun comes from hearing how the tale became attached to the building.

The hanging story is particularly grim. You will learn how much of an execution people might have watched while eating breakfast. That detail says a lot about public punishment in earlier London. A hanging was not always hidden away. It could become part of the day’s entertainment and conversation.

There is also a nearby pub with its own ghost stories. This is where the tour’s pub-friendly design makes sense. The admission cost does not include drinks or food, but you have opportunities to pause in one of the pubs along the way. If you want a drink, tell your guide early so the stop fits your group’s pace.

Smithfield Market and the darkest finish

The route ends at Smithfield Market, with the Old Red Cow pub as the stated endpoint. The pub is opposite the Long Lane entrance to Farringdon Street Station, which makes the finish useful if you want to continue by public transport or stop for food.

Smithfield carries some of the walk’s heaviest material. Expect stories about body snatchers, executions, and a Scottish national hero. The tour also takes in one of the City’s most haunted churches, giving the final section a strong supernatural thread.

Body snatching is an especially fitting subject here because it shows how the needs of medicine collided with older burial customs. The story is not simply about criminals stealing corpses. It raises questions about poverty, medical education, fear, and the value placed on a body after death.

The references to executions and a Scottish national hero add a broader political edge. Smithfield was not just a market area. It was also a place where power, punishment, and public memory met. Listen closely here, since several separate stories may come together in a short stretch.

The ending at a pub is practical rather than theatrical. There is no promise of a staged scare or a special effect. Instead, you finish with a place to sit, eat, or discuss the more unpleasant tales while the details are still fresh.

How Ross guides the experience

Ross appears to be the main strength of this walk. His style is built around humorous storytelling, local facts, and audience participation. That matters on a ghost walk because the subject can become repetitive if every stop follows the same pattern of old building, tragic death, and ghostly return.

You can ask as many questions as you like, and the private setup means the guide can adapt to your group. If your children or friends prefer legends, you can focus there. If you are more interested in medieval work, Roman traces, prisons, or architecture, you can steer the conversation in that direction.

Past walks led by Ross have also included extra locations when time and interest allowed, including the Roman Amphitheatre in the Guildhall Gallery. That does not guarantee an added stop on this ghost walk, so treat it as a sign of flexibility rather than a promised feature.

His other walks have included Roman London and film locations, including a Star Wars filming site. Those details suggest that you may get useful connections beyond the formal ghost stories. Still, the exact route and timing should remain your priority when booking.

Price, group size, and overall value

The price is $342.79 per group of up to 15 people. That sounds high for a walking tour if you are booking for one or two people. It becomes more reasonable when shared among a family, club, or group of friends.

For example, a full group of 15 would pay about $23 per person. A group of five would pay roughly $69 each, while a couple would carry the full cost between them. The value depends heavily on your group size.

You are paying for a private guide, not admissions to attractions. The route uses public streets, churches, squares, and exterior views, and drinks or food are extra. If you want a tour filled with interior visits, this is not the right choice.

The private format is the main reason to consider the price. You are not waiting for a large crowd to settle down, and you can ask questions without losing the guide’s attention. For a walking club, family reunion, birthday group, or private London weekend, that control can be worth more than a cheaper shared tour.

The advertised duration is approximately 2 to 3 hours. Wear comfortable shoes and leave room in your schedule for a pub stop if your group wants one. The route ends away from Bank, at the Old Red Cow near Farringdon, so plan your next move from that side of the City rather than assuming you will return to the starting point.

Who should book this walk?

I would choose this experience if you enjoy London stories that are strange, grim, and grounded in real places. It suits adults, history-minded families, walking clubs, and groups that like to talk with a guide rather than simply follow a script.

It is also a good choice if you have already seen the major sights and want a different way to read the City. The tour adds meaning to streets you might otherwise cross without a second thought.

I would hesitate if you dislike tales of executions, skulls, body snatching, or public punishment. The name gives you a fair warning, and the subject matter is not softened. You should also think twice if your group is not comfortable walking for several hours or if you want guaranteed indoor access.

The lack of included admission fees is not a serious problem here because the attraction is the route and the storytelling. Still, you should know what you are buying: a guided walk through public places, not a ticketed museum experience.

Should you book Ghosts, Gore and Other Ghastly Stories?

Book it if you have a group large enough to share the cost and you want a flexible guide-led walk through the City’s darker past. Ross’s humor, questions, and local detail give the route more life than a simple list of haunted addresses.

For a couple or solo visitor, the fixed group price is harder to justify. You may get better value from a shared walk unless private attention matters greatly to you. For everyone else, especially a walking club or small private party, this is an entertaining way to see Bank, Cheapside, Paternoster Square, Holy Sepulchre Church, and Smithfield with fresh eyes.

FAQ

Where does the tour begin?

It begins at Bank Station in the Bank and Monument underground complex on Princes Street, London EC3V 3LA.

Where does the tour end?

It ends at the Old Red Cow pub at 71 Long Lane, Barbican, London EC1A 9EJ. The pub is opposite the Long Lane entrance to Farringdon Street Station.

How long does the tour last?

The experience lasts approximately 2 to 3 hours.

Is this a private tour?

Yes. Only your group participates, with a maximum group size of 15 people.

Is food or drink included?

No. Food and drinks are not included, though there are opportunities to stop at pubs along the route.

What is the cancellation policy?

You can cancel up to 24 hours before the experience start time for a full refund. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the start time are not accepted for a refund.