Is 50 Berkeley Square, London’s Most Haunted House?

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50 Berkeley Square has been known as “The Most Haunted House in London”. Guest writer GAVINPAUL “FOX” MARRINER delves into its murky legend.

Even in the years before Jack the Ripper’s crimson-gloved tour of the East End, London was a place oddly fascinated with monsters, be they human or otherwise.

One such tale of supernatural horror would play itself out within the confines of an otherwise normal home, and while there are as many versions of the events as there are authors to write about it, the following points seem to have been mostly agreed upon.

Now no more than unremarkable retail premises, number 50 Berkeley Square in London’s affluent Mayfair district was originally a private residence and one that had earned much notoriety for its reclusive owner, a Mr Benson.

Long and dark history of 50 Berkeley Square

Before he took over the upkeep of the building it had passed through many hands and been the scene of many mysterious incidents blamed upon its one long term and uninvited resident, a sickly, swirling, shadowy horror known only as the Beast.

After hearing about the multiple murders attributed to the creature, including that of the well-known adventurer Sir Robert Warboys, who had foolishly decided to stay in the haunted bedchamber to win a bet, the then Lord Lyttleton decided to try and resolve the issue once and for all.

Staying in the same room that had proved so fatal to Sir Robert, the scholar wisely brought a blunderbuss loaded with Silver Sixpenny Pieces with him.

It was this weapon, and its talismanic contents, that most probably saved his life when later that same night he fired it directly into the centre of a jet black shape that jumped across the room at him.

50 Berkeley Square has a reputation of being the most haunted house in London.
50 Berkeley Square has a reputation for being the most haunted house in London.

Seemingly at peace after Sir Robert’s intervention, the building sat brooding and derelict for many years, until the terrible events of one bleak winter would cement its place in history.

It was Christmas and the frigate Penelope had docked at Portsmouth, its crew making their way ashore to find lodgings over the festive season.

Two of these men, Blunden and Martin, found themselves in London with no money and very little chance of renting a room for the night.

A cruel twist of fate

By a cruel twist of fate, they wandered into Berkeley Square and were drawn to the darkened shell of number 50.

After walking the empty rooms for a while they come upon the bedroom that had proved so deadly to those who had come before them, and had they known of its reputation they would never have bedded down on its floor for the night.

Martin slept easily, but Blunden found it far harder, especially when the sound of the wind became intermingled with another, less natural noise, that of strange, clawed footsteps approaching the door, and taloned hands working the lock.

He woke Martin and the two of them watched in terror as something dark and formless entered the bedroom and made for Blunden, even as the still drowsy sailor lunged over to the fireplace to try and find something to defend himself with.

Seizing his chance to escape, Martin ran for the door and did not stop until he had made it the short distance to Piccadilly, where he related his story to a police constable who quickly accompanied him back to the house.

But it was too little too late, for all they found when they arrived at the quiet, derelict building was the broken body of Blunden heaped awkwardly on the basement steps, his neck smashed to sawdust by either the fall or the claws and fangs of the Beast.

The horrific killer has been silent since, and the current tenants of the building, a booksellers, mostly refuse to discuss the matter or admit to there having been any unexplainable occurrences since they took up residence.

But evil never dies, and it is not too far fetched to assume that the Beast is watching and waiting within the shadows between the floorboards, ready to strike.

1 COMMENT

  1. Hi Gavin
    I am very sorry to say but I am very unimpressed by your article and sadly its a shame you don’t name your references. I’d like to take you to task on a number of facts.
    “Now no more than unremarkable retail premises, number 50 Berkeley Square in London’s affluent Mayfair district was originally a private residence, and one that had earned much notoriety for its reclusive owner, a Mr. Benson.”
    There was no reclusive owner called “Mr Benson” at the time you describe. Indeed there was a Mr Myers and the property before Myers tennacy was held by a Mrs Curzon. No Mr Benson is reported in reliable reports of the haunting of 50 Berkeley Square.
    “Before he took over the upkeep of the building it had passed through many hands and been the scene of many mysterious incidents blamed upon its one long term and uninvited resident, a sickly, swirling, shadowy horror known only as the Beast.”
    I would be intrigued where you received the information about “the beast” – most contemporary reports state an invisible force or small girl. In the 19th Century the building passed through four tenants – not exactly many hands as you describe.
    “After hearing about the multiple murders attributed to the creature, including that of the well-known adventurer Sir Robert Warboys, who had foolishly decided to stay in the haunted bedchamber to win a bet, the then Lord Lyttleton (sic) decided to try and resolve the issue once and for all.
    Staying in the same room that had proved so fatal to Sir Robert, the scholar wisely brought a blunderbuss loaded with Silver Sixpenny Pieces with him.”
    Firstly there is no such person as “Sir Robert Warboys” and he wasn’t a “well-known adventurer” and secondly there is no evidence that Lord Lyttelton stayed at 50 Berkeley Square. A “Lyttelton” wrote to Notes and Queries of 1884 that he had heard of the hauntings but no other information was detailed.
    “It was Christmas and the frigate Penelope had docked at Portsmouth, its crew making their way ashore to find lodgings over the festive season. Two of these men, Blunden and Martin, found themselves in London with no money and very little chance of renting a room for the night.”
    The first appearance of the ‘sailor story’ is in Elliot O’Donnell’s Ghosts of London, however there are no other contemporary reports of the incident in either police, hospital or in the media. Elliot’s story is definitely made up since there are detailed conversations between the sailors throughout the story – yet earlier he claims he received the story through a policeman on duty that night.
    “The horrific killer has been silent since, and the current tenants of the building, a booksellers, mostly refuse to discuss the matter, or admit to there having been any unexplainable occurrences since they took up residence. But evil never dies, and it is not too far fetched to assume that the Beast is watching and waiting within the shadows between the floorboards, ready to strike.”
    Again this “horrific killer” was ‘active’ between 1880 and 1895 – or at least there are reports of a haunting during that time period. Careful research into a number of easily accessible reports and articles of that time you can come to the conclusion that many of the facts around Berkeley Square are not as what they seem. I wouldn’t expect a thorough investigation for just an article, however your article doesn’t even cover the known stories of the time and seemingly has the spin that there was a “horrific killer”. Sadly you even miss two well known stories attached to the property that can be read in most ‘ghost books’.
    Just so you know, I’m not a sceptic or anything like that, far from it but I do at least expect to read a well researched article..
    MJ Wayland

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