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London – the old capital of the world, a city of wonder and mystery, or at least that was what people thought back in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Nowadays, London is one of the fastest growing and most modern cities in Europe. Nevertheless, the old legends are still popular and inspire many creators in the horror genre. If you are planning a to move to London, beware of the demon pigs and the evil entities of the night. If you are just visiting the city, be sure to not miss your metro station and wind up at Whitechapel station at night. London removals can be hectic and stressful, so be sure to go to Great London and enjoy the company of Jimi Hendrix’s parakeets – London’s very own flock of wild parrots. From vampires to famous pets, we have gathered for you the most popular urban legends in hope that you will enjoy them, and maybe even impress your friends and family with a few amusing stories. Why not move to London after dark? Why not travel after dark, you ask? Well, here are some presumably true urban stories to answer your question. Our advice is to hire a London removal company just to stay on the safe side. Surely somewhere in the moving agreement, there is a clause that states that it is bad for the company name if the client gets eaten by a famous vampire. 1. Spring Heeled Jack One of the most terrifying urban legends, born in the Victorian era, is that of Spring-Heeled Jack. This London boogieman roams through the night in search of his latest female victim. According to the legend, Spring-Heeled Jack is a devil-like creature with sharp, long claws, hideous face and the power to jump as high as three meters. He attacks his victims in the depths of the night in the streets of London. The first documented report of an encounter with Spring-Heeled Jack was in 1837 and, since then, there are countless reports of sightings of the London devil. The last official documented appearance of Spring-Heeled Jack was in 1904 when he was seen jumping over a building in William Henry Street. Nowadays, there are still many believers in the existence of Spring-Heeled Jack and there are a number of unofficial reports of alleged encounters and sightings. 2. The London vampire In the outskirts of the capital of the United Kingdom, there is an old cemetery filled with century-old gravestones, majestic trees, a beautiful little chapel, oh and there is also a vampire roaming its grounds after sunset. We are talking about the iconic Highgate Cemetery and its vampire who became a media sensation in the seventies. The first sighting of the supposed vampire was in 1960, but its legend gathered media attention after David Farrant had an encounter with a ‘grey figure’ in 1969. That was all it took, and not long after, dozens of reports of alleged sightings flooded the newspapers. In the next five years, there were numerous vampire hunts in the cemetery and evidence was found that led people to believe that a supposed Satanic cult was summoning vampires and demons in the depths of the night. At the end of 1975, Farrant was convicted for damaging memorials and interfering with dead remains. To this day, it is not entirely clear what happened in the Highgate Cemetery, but we advise all London movers and newcomers to avoid the cemetery and all roads leading to it at night. 3. Train of the dead London’s most blood-chilling urban legend tells about a ghostly train that transports corpses through the underground railway. The story originated in the late eighteen hundreds with the building of the London underground railway. Whitechapel station is one of the bigger stations that has both an underground and an overground part and is situated close to the Royal London Hospital. According to the legend, there is a secret tunnel connecting the hospital and a secluded part of Whitechapel station. Through this tunnel, all the bodies are loaded to a train and let to travel under the feet of the unsuspected inhabitants of the capital. There is no evidence that such tunnel was ever built, but, nevertheless, the urban legend grew popular through the years and has even inspired the creation of different horror movies. Moving to London, the city of the rock stars’ parrots
Do not be afraid, not all of London’s legendary creatures are that scary and, for that matter, all that legendary. Here are some unusual and funny stories that will make you buy a house, and move to the old capital just to take part of the creation of its fascinating urban mythology. 1.The lions and the bell This legend is related to two of London’s most iconic places – the Clocktower and Trafalgar square. There are many myths and beliefs about the tower’s famous bell - Big Ben. It is said that when Big Ben strikes thirteen times at midnight, which is a bad omen and a prediction of death in the Royal Family. Big Ben stroke thirteen times a few days before the deaths of both Prince George’s elder brother in 1892 and Queen Victoria in 1906. Opposite Trafalgar square’s lions is one of the most beloved sculptures in London. The sculptures are of four majestic lions that were created over a period of almost ten-years by the artist Landseer. Presumably, the four lions have been created from melted bronze cannons, obtained from old captured ships from the French fleet. The story goes that the next time Big Ben strikes thirteen times exactly at midnight, the massive bronze statues will come to life and either defend London from its enemies or ravage and destroy the city. It is up to you which of those you choose to believe in. 2.Pigs in the Sewer Nobody knows exactly when this legend begins its existence and what caused it, but it is here now, and it intends to keep scaring naughty children. During the 19th century, there was a big problem with the pollution of the city. The River Thames started to get cluttered with filth and became the cause for a rapid spread of cholera and other diseases through the city. The construction of the London sewer began and, thus, the legend of the sewer swine was born. According to the legend, a mother sow fell into the sewer and gave birth there. From that moment onward, the London sewer has been inhabited by black, aggressive pigs who survive on by eating the city waste and devouring everyone who dares to invade their domains. The legend gathered popularity so fast, that it was published in the Daily Telegraph in 1859. We assure you that nowadays there are no wild, demonic pigs in the London sewers, but nevertheless, it is a great story to tell around the campfire. 3. London’s own flock of parrots Perhaps the most amusing of all urban legends is the one that explains the origin of the London parakeets. A parakeet is a general name describing a number of small to medium species of parrots. It may be a bit surprising to all who are moving to London or are just visiting the city, to find out that the British capital has its own flock of wild parrots. The parakeets of London are of a species called ring-necked parakeets, or, to be exact, Psittacula krameri manillensis. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds estimates that there are currently around 8,600 breeding pairs in Britain. Be sure to visit Kew and Richmond Park and observe these beautiful, wild birds. But where do they come from? Nobody knows exactly and that is how the urban legend about the London parakeets was born. The legend tells that in the sixties, Jimi Hendrix owned a couple of breeding pairs of ring-necked parakeets and, at some point, he decided to release them. Thus the London flock was created. There is no evidence to prove this urban legend, but still, to be a descendant from Jimi Hendrix’s parrots sounds way more intriguing than to be descendent from a pair of parakeets who managed to escape from a pet shop.
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