Prisoners died in the Millbank cells where the Morpeth Arms pub in London now stands, and some believe their spirits still linger
This historic Millbank pub stands above former prison tunnels where disease and despair once claimed lives, fuelling its reputation as one of London’s most unsettling haunted pubs.
The Morpeth Arms sits quietly on Millbank, directly opposite the MI6 building on The Thames. From the outside, it looks like an ordinary riverside pub, and inside it feels warm and modern.
But beneath the floorboards lies a much darker past, one tied to disease, despair and men who never made it out alive.
This is one of London’s most unsettling haunted pubs, not because of theatrical ghost stories, but because of what really happened below ground.
A pub built on prison tunnels
Before the Morpeth Arms opened in 1845, this site formed part of the sprawling Millbank Gaol, a vast 19th-century prison built on unhealthy marshland beside the Thames.
Conditions in the prison were appalling. The underground cells were damp, filthy and overcrowded.
Disease spread quickly, and outbreaks of cholera and scurvy killed prisoners as they waited to be transported to Australia. Some never even reached the ships and died in the cells beneath what is now the pub.
The Morpeth Arms itself was built to serve prison warders, directly above these subterranean holding tunnels.
The spirits beneath the cellar
Despite the number of prisoners who died from disease, the hauntings linked to the Morpeth Arms are said to centre on two specific men.
One is believed to be a prisoner who hanged himself in his cell while awaiting deportation. Another was cut down by guards during a desperate and ultimately fatal escape attempt.
These two spirits are described as angry, restless and territorial.
They are said to stalk the tunnels beneath the pub and make their presence very clear to anyone who ventures into the basement.
Visitors report an overwhelming sense of being unwelcome, sudden feelings of panic and physical sensations of being pushed or crowded out of the space.
Poltergeist activity in the bar
The disturbances are not confined to the tunnels.
Patrons have reported drinks being slapped from their hands or knocked clean off tables by something unseen.
Staff have witnessed bottles launching themselves from behind the bar and smashing against walls without any obvious cause.
This is not a place associated with faint footsteps or distant whispers.
The activity described is physical, aggressive and sudden, the sort of behaviour usually linked to unresolved trauma rather than gentle hauntings.
Spying Room and modern legends
Upstairs, the pub’s famous Spying Room looks directly across at the MI6 headquarters, complete with binoculars for customers to spy on the spies.
It adds a playful modern layer to a building already thick with secrets, surveillance and confinement.
Some visitors report that even in these lighter spaces, objects move when no one is nearby and glasses vibrate on tables without explanation.
Visiting the Morpeth Arms
Address: 58 Millbank, London SW1P 4RW
Nearest Underground: Pimlico
Whether you are drawn by its history, its hauntings or simple curiosity, the Morpeth Arms rewards attention.
It is a pub where the past is not buried very deeply at all.
Have a drink and enjoy the view.
But if something brushes past you in the cellar, or your glass suddenly flies from the table, do not assume it was an accident.
