A Victorian Haunting : 50 Berkeley Square

50 Berkeley Square has the most horrific ghost stories out of any location in Greater London. To this day  police notice stands on the wall inside of 50 Berkeley Square proclaiming that the upper levels are forbidden to guests and owners alike. Following a string of strange deaths and rumours of conjuration and satanic worship inside it stands today as London’s most haunted and mysterious location.

Building a Legend

50 Berkeley Square is situated in one of the most influential parts of London called Mayfair.It was designed and then built by William Kent during the late 18th century. Almost immediately after its doors opened to tenants the residents of Berkeley Square began to tell tales of mysterious residents and then they saw the proof, when a young woman called Adeline jumped from the top floor window to escape her abusive uncle. She has been seen ever since throwing herself out of the window again and again. 

Then there was Mr. Dupre… Mr. Dupre kept his mad brother locked on the upper floor of the building and fed him through a hole in the door. A little girl has been seen around the building since that day and it is thought that she was put in the locked room with the insane sibling, nobody knows what he did to her but the end result is obvious.  

The Haunting Begins

 The first long-term resident of 50 Berkeley Square was former Prime Minister George Canning, who lived there until the day he died in 1827. He was the first person to experience activity within the house in the form of inexplicable sounds and horrific nightmares. Following his death

Following his death, a few people moved in and out of the house through the 1850’s. But this seemed to awaken whatever was lying dormant within the property, this thing showed itself for the first time when a maid was spending the night alone on the top floor. She was found there, screaming, her face twisted with fear. She survived but never left the sanatorium. 

After this incident, rumours began to circulate around London. This was a time where the paranormal was something of a phenomenon and incredibly popular, even Charles Dickens himself took interest in the house. 

An advert was published in the local newspaper stating that only the bravest men could spend the night in 50 Berkely Square. So, of course, one stood up and claimed he had no fear. They set up a bell system in the house so that the man could ring once for fear and two rings for help. The man went to sleep. About 15 minutes later the bell starting ringing frantically, he was found rigid, with a look of horror etched into his face and dead.  For a while following this, a little old lady called Miss Curzon bought the house and she lived the last of her few years in the luxury townhouse. 

The Monster Inside

After a short while the house came back to market. It was purchased by a Viscount Bearsted who in turn leased it to a youth named Mr Myers who was on the verge of marriage. After the unexpected death of his bride to be, Mr Myers locked himself into isolation in the townhouse he had furnished so beautifully for her. But in his isolation, he got into some messed up shiz. 

The neighbours would report seeing him walking, as if with no soul, from window to window, room to room. It is unclear what exactly happened to him, but there is strong evidence that he tried all manner of experiments to get back in touch with his lost love. Including satanic worship, which woke something that had previously lay dormant. 

Mr. Myers disappeared. No-one even saw him leave. But he was gone. In 1872 an aristocrat decided to stay the night in London’s most sinister townhouse with his trusted shotgun. He claimed that a mass of brown tentacles shot out at him from the shadow and he shot, but there was no trace of the monster. 

In 1873 the local council summoned the owners of 5o Berkeley Square over back taxes. Neither the viscount or Bearsted turned up. They had both disappeared, the townhouses reputation led to the council dropping the charged and the building, once again, lay dormant. During this period, the neighbours called out the police numerous times, with complaints of screaming, the sound of furniture being dragged, windows slamming, and the sound of bells ringing, despite the fact all of the bells had been removed. All coming from the shell of 50 Berkely Square. 

1879 after being dormant for 6 years, London’s most haunted house was purchased by a man with two teenage daughters. When they moved in the eldest daughter claimed that the house smelled like zoo animals in a cage. Two days later as the top floor bedrooms for where prepared for the arrival of her betrothed , the maid was found collapsed and in hysterics in the guest room. She was crying ” Don’t let it touch me” over and over and over, all the way to the sanitarium.

The Captain arrived late, and somehow he ended up in the basement. The family could not find him for over an hour until screams were heard, followed by gunshots. He was found like the others petrified and dead. The Mayfair Magazine wrote about the entire affair and dubbed the creature the Nameless Horror. 50 Berkeley Square’s Nameless Horror soon became known throughout the world. 

A Conclusion

By the late 19th century the house had been abandoned and vanished from the public eye. But it wasn’t the last time it would kill. On Christmas Eve 1887, two sailors on leave from the HMS Penelope were looking for a place to spend the night after partying. The two of them stumbled on 50 Berkeley Square and settled into one of the upper bedrooms. At some time, during the night, one of the sailors were awoken by heavy footsteps before the ghost of Myers entered the room. The other sailor awoke to his fellow sailor ensnared by tentacles and ran from the room. When he returned with the authorities they discovered the man lying dead. 

Since then an elderly couple have owned the house and turned it into an antique bookstore. They absolutely refused to acknowledge claims of the haunting. But they still never went upstairs. 

The bookstore was recently closed and the new owners report objects being thrown around and a strange brown mist seen floating around the premises. Perhaps now it will be possible to investigate the building, all we can do is try. But a notice still stands on the door from the 1800’s stating that the top floors of 50 Berkeley Square are not to be used by anyone for any reason. That includes the actual owners of the buildings themselves…