Buzz
For centuries, London has been a city cloaked in intrigue. Tales of notorious serial killers, unexplained vanishings, and spectral apparitions continue to captivate the public. Advances in science and technology have recently illuminated some of these age-old puzzles, yet each revelation seems to spawn even more questions, leaving experts perplexed for years—or even centuries.
10. What Truly Triggered The Great Plague?
In the 1660s, the Great Plague of London claimed over a quarter of the city’s inhabitants in just 18 months. While rats were long blamed for the rapid spread of the disease, modern DNA analysis has debunked this theory, revealing a different culprit entirely.
In 2016, researchers from the Museum of London Archaeology and Germany’s Max Planck Institute analyzed 3,300 skeletons unearthed near Liverpool Street. They discovered traces of the Yersinia pestis bacterium in 42 of these remains, with ongoing studies aiming to uncover more about the disease’s rapid transmission.
Experts have debunked the long-held belief that the Great Fire of London halted the plague’s spread. Since most victims resided in the city’s outskirts during the 1666 fire, it couldn’t have played a significant role in eradicating the disease.
9. Could Walter Sickert Have Been Jack The Ripper?
Among London’s most notorious unsolved cases, the legend of Jack the Ripper stands out. This unidentified murderer haunted East London in the late 19th century, leaving a legacy so enduring that today, Whitechapel hosts a Jack the Ripper Museum and numerous tours exploring the killer’s infamous crime scenes.
Since the 1970s, Walter Sickert, a German-born artist, has been a prime suspect for being Jack the Ripper among “ripperologists.” Recently, author Patricia Cornwell has taken this theory further, dedicating two books to proving Sickert’s involvement in the murders. She reportedly invested over $7 million in her quest to solve the case. In her latest work, Cornwell asserts that Sickert used identical 24-page stationery for his letters, matching those attributed to Jack the Ripper, including identical watermarks.
Cornwell also alleges that Sickert would don the persona of Jack the Ripper while painting and once confessed to a friend that he “wouldn’t mind killing and consuming raw flesh.” Her new book presents evidence placing Sickert in Britain during at least three of the Ripper murders, contradicting his earlier claims of being in France. She further suggests that Jack the Ripper’s death toll might have been quadruple the previously estimated number.
8. Could a Monster Really Lurk in the River Thames?
While Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster, is widely known, could a similar creature inhabit London’s River Thames? In 2016, a tourist aboard the Emirates Air Line cable car near the O2 noticed something unusual in the water and captured a 30-second video. The footage reveals a dark, humped figure surfacing from the river. Adding to the intrigue, another video emerged the next day, showing a peculiar object near the Thames Barrier.
Marine biologists remain baffled by the creature—if it is one—with some speculating it could be a whale or a group of porpoises. Over the years, the Thames has been home to over 2,000 seals and 450 porpoises and dolphins. However, Ian Tokelove of the London Wildlife Trust stated that the organization is “unaware of anything that large and mobile in the Thames,” leaving room for endless speculation.
7. What Led to a Walrus Being Buried at St Pancras?
Since the discovery of a 4-meter-long (13 ft) walrus beneath St Pancras Church in 2003, experts have been baffled. The walrus bones, found alongside eight human remains and three skulls in a coffin, date back to between 1822 and 1854.
Recent studies suggest the walrus remains might have been used for medical research at one of London’s 40 anatomy schools during the 19th century. Evidence supporting this includes dissection marks on both the human and walrus bones, with drilled holes in the skulls. Another theory posits that the walrus was brought to the UK for trade, as its ivory tusks were highly prized. However, the exact reason for its presence remains a mystery.
This isn’t the only instance of animal remains found in London graves. Excavations at the Royal London Hospital uncovered various animal parts, including rabbits, cats, dogs, horses, tortoises, and even monkeys, buried alongside human remains.
6. Was Richard III Falsely Accused of Killing the Princes in the Tower?
Shakespeare referenced it, and even Game of Thrones alluded to it, but did Richard III truly murder his nephews to claim the English throne? Many experts now believe he did not.
The vanishing of Prince Edward and Prince Richard, known as “the Princes in the Tower,” has puzzled historians for centuries. When two skeletons were unearthed in the Tower of London in 1674, many assumed they belonged to the princes, leading to their interment in an urn at Westminster Abbey. However, the discovery of Richard III’s remains under a Leicester car park in 2012 revealed no genetic connection to the Tower skeletons, casting doubt on the theory.
Some speculate the remains could be of Anglo-Saxon origin, but the Church of England and the queen have denied the Richard III Society’s requests to examine them, leaving the mystery unresolved. Additionally, Richard III’s supporters argue that he couldn’t have committed the crime, as he never announced the princes’ deaths or displayed their bodies publicly.
5. Is Winston Churchill’s Ghost Haunting the London Underground?
Since the 1980s, there have been numerous accounts of ghostly apparitions resembling former British prime minister Winston Churchill at various tube stations across London. A recent photograph has reignited these claims, adding credibility to the eerie tales.
In 2016, Welsh tourist Craig Cooper captured an image of a spectral figure standing behind him at Queensway station. The bald apparition bears a striking resemblance to Churchill, leading some to believe it could be the ghost of the iconic wartime leader.
4. Does a Vampire Truly Haunt Highgate Cemetery?
Tales of the so-called “Highgate Vampire” have haunted North Londoners since the 1970s. Recent sightings suggest that the vampire may have made a chilling return to Highgate Cemetery.
Over the past few decades, witnesses have reported seeing a “floating man” dressed in Victorian attire and a top hat drifting through the locked gates of the cemetery. David Farrant, who now heads the British Psychic and Occult Society, was the first to claim a sighting of this supposed vampire in 1969. Strangely, the charred, headless body of a woman was found near the cemetery the following year.
In 2016, a man named Declan Walsh recounted seeing the vampire in 1991 as he was heading to work. He described the figure as over 183 centimeters (6′) tall, clad in a long black coat and a top hat. According to legend, the vampire is a medieval nobleman who practiced black magic in Romania. His coffin was brought to England in the 18th century, and his spirit was allegedly awakened by modern-day Satanists visiting the cemetery.
3. Who Was Jack the Stripper?
While Jack the Ripper is widely known, residents of London’s Hammersmith district were horrified by Jack the Stripper’s killing spree between 1964 and 1965. Known as “the most infamous serial killer you’ve never heard of,” Jack the Stripper is believed to have murdered several prostitutes. Although the official count is six victims, some speculate the number could be as high as eight.
All of the Stripper’s victims were female prostitutes, found naked and strangled, with their teeth removed—suggesting the killer may have kept them as trophies. One victim, 30-year-old Hannah Tailford, was discovered with her underwear stuffed in her mouth, while others had small paint specks on their bodies.
Police interviewed nearly 120,000 people and identified 26 suspects, yet the killer’s identity remains a mystery to this day. Some theories point to a former Metropolitan Police officer, while others accuse Mungo Ireland, a security guard who took his own life in 1965. His body was found beside a note reading, “I cannot stand the strain any longer.” The true meaning behind his words may never be uncovered.
2. What Were Anne Boleyn’s Final Words Before Her Execution?
Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife and mother of Queen Elizabeth I, has been portrayed as both a cunning seductress and a devoted mother and wife. This ambiguity even extends to her final words. Executed at the Tower of London in 1536 for charges of high treason, adultery, and incest, her last statements have been the subject of debate for centuries, leaving historians puzzled.
Some accounts claim her final words were, “I have not come here to preach a sermon; I have come here to die.” Others report she denied the charges, stating, “Everything they have accused me of is false, and the principle reason I am to die is Jane Seymour.” Still, some say she uttered, “Be not sorry to see me die like this.” Remarkably, some witnesses even claimed her lips continued moving for several seconds after her beheading.
1. What Truly Happened to Lord Lucan?
In the 1970s, the disappearance of Lord Lucan and the death of his alleged victim dominated London’s headlines. Accused of murdering his children’s nanny and assaulting his wife, Lord Lucan (Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan) vanished without a trace, leaving his fate shrouded in mystery—until recent revelations.
Author Peter James has proposed that Lord Lucan’s elite gambling circle, known as the Clermont Set, aided his escape from England via a “light plane” to Montreux, Switzerland. However, when Lucan expressed a desire to contact his children, the group grew fearful and allegedly had him killed in a “Mafia-style” execution. His body is thought to have been buried in Switzerland to conceal the group’s involvement in his escape.
In recent years, some have argued that Lucan may have been innocent of the murder, though this claim remains hotly debated.
