The Ghosts of Bedford Street
When you think of ghosts, what comes to mind? More often than not, the three ghosts from Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol are top of the list. So the festive season is the perfect time to launch an investigation into the supernatural.
There are lots of stories about the offices of The Lady being haunted, and when I put out an all-staff email to find out what ghostly goings-on my colleagues had experienced, I received more replies than made me feel comfortable. Was The Lady really that haunted?
I decided it was time to call in the experts to find out. And after spending the night at the office with two colleagues, Andrea and Katy, and a pair of professional ghost hunters, Wayne and Paul from Haunted Happenings, I can reveal that the verdict is a resounding ‘yes’.
‘When the team from The Lady magazine asked Haunted Happenings to accompany them on a ghost hunt in their offices, we had no idea what to expect from the building, but we were left absolutely staggered by the amount of paranormal activity we experienced in just four hours.
‘The team was fantastic to work with and although Haunted Happenings is used to exploring haunted castles, prisons and hospitals, we found that this unassuming building in central London was a hot spot for ghostly activity.
‘From heavy footsteps heard in the archive room to responsive tapping in the publisher’s office, we were left perplexed (and maybe a little unnerved) by what we experienced and wish to thank the team at The Lady for the opportunity to to discover this hidden gem of a haunted location.'
Katy, web editor
‘I haven’t used a Ouija board before. Like many people, I am wary of them, slightly fearful of their occult overtones and horror-film reputation.
‘However, when we set one up on the third floor of The Lady – in a now empty office – I managed to overcome my reservations.
‘During the 20 minutes we were at the board, no less than three spirits communicated with us. One, directly with me (having spelt my name out on the board); one who seemed to be something of a joker (spelling out ‘heater on’, only for the heater next to us to suddenly switch itself off), and one purporting to be called Lord KA, from 1877, who informed us that there were eight spirits in the room with us.
‘Cynics will say that one of the five of us must have been pushing the glass with our finger. However, we were all using just the lightest of touches, and would regularly take our fingers off the glass completely.
‘The spirit who spoke directly to me – who I believe to be a recently departed dear friend – spelt out a nickname only she could have known. While my finger wasn’t on the glass. Explain that if you can...’
Andrea, classifieds sales manager
‘The boardroom was the only room where we kept the lights on while trying to communicate with spirits, so thankfully, it didn’t feel spooky in the slightest. Wayne handed each of us a pair of dousing rods – L-shaped pieces of metal, like giant Allen keys – that spirits can use to make contact by moving them in certain ways.
‘Holding the rods, one in each hand in front of us, we asked the spirit to “show me my yes”, and then the same for “no”. The rods should move differently for each response – left for yes, right for no, for example – and once you know how they will answer, you can start to ask questions.
‘If the rods were telling the truth, I made contact with a lady who had lived in the building during the 1800s.
‘Considering the other girls had no luck with their rods, I was astounded that I managed to get in touch with someone… or something. And I have to admit that our editorial meetings in the boardroom will never be the same again.’
Melonie, staff writer
‘Going into the archive in the basement has never bothered me before. The basement is a little creepy, but I would happily rummage through our past issues without a second thought. However, after our ghost hunt, I haven’t been down there again.
‘Standing in a circle holding hands (to create a field of energy spirits can use to communicate), in the pitch darkness, I was already on edge. But then Wayne and Paul called out for any spirits to come forward… and we heard the crystal clear sound of footsteps coming towards the room. In an empty building in the middle of the night, who else could it have been?
‘Wayne called out again to make sure the noises weren’t just a fluke. Our grip on each other’s hands tightened as once again we clearly heard the footsteps. Switching the lights on and making a hasty exit, I couldn’t quite believe – and neither could Wayne and Paul – how much ‘activity’ we experienced in a single evening.
‘If Haunted Happenings has its way, The Lady offices will be a spooky destination you can visit. Ghost-hunting Lady Lunch, anyone?
Haunted Happenings: 01527-451873, www.hauntedhappenings.co.uk
How to hunt a ghost
There are lots of stories about the offices of The Lady being haunted, and when I put out an all-staff email to find out what ghostly goings-on my colleagues had experienced, I received more replies than made me feel comfortable. Was The Lady really that haunted?
I decided it was time to call in the experts to find out. And after spending the night at the office with two colleagues, Andrea and Katy, and a pair of professional ghost hunters, Wayne and Paul from Haunted Happenings, I can reveal that the verdict is a resounding ‘yes’.
So what went on?
Haunted Happenings, the ghost hunters‘When the team from The Lady magazine asked Haunted Happenings to accompany them on a ghost hunt in their offices, we had no idea what to expect from the building, but we were left absolutely staggered by the amount of paranormal activity we experienced in just four hours.
‘The team was fantastic to work with and although Haunted Happenings is used to exploring haunted castles, prisons and hospitals, we found that this unassuming building in central London was a hot spot for ghostly activity.
‘From heavy footsteps heard in the archive room to responsive tapping in the publisher’s office, we were left perplexed (and maybe a little unnerved) by what we experienced and wish to thank the team at The Lady for the opportunity to to discover this hidden gem of a haunted location.'
Katy, web editor‘I haven’t used a Ouija board before. Like many people, I am wary of them, slightly fearful of their occult overtones and horror-film reputation.
‘However, when we set one up on the third floor of The Lady – in a now empty office – I managed to overcome my reservations.
‘During the 20 minutes we were at the board, no less than three spirits communicated with us. One, directly with me (having spelt my name out on the board); one who seemed to be something of a joker (spelling out ‘heater on’, only for the heater next to us to suddenly switch itself off), and one purporting to be called Lord KA, from 1877, who informed us that there were eight spirits in the room with us.
‘Cynics will say that one of the five of us must have been pushing the glass with our finger. However, we were all using just the lightest of touches, and would regularly take our fingers off the glass completely.
‘The spirit who spoke directly to me – who I believe to be a recently departed dear friend – spelt out a nickname only she could have known. While my finger wasn’t on the glass. Explain that if you can...’
Andrea, classifieds sales manager ‘The boardroom was the only room where we kept the lights on while trying to communicate with spirits, so thankfully, it didn’t feel spooky in the slightest. Wayne handed each of us a pair of dousing rods – L-shaped pieces of metal, like giant Allen keys – that spirits can use to make contact by moving them in certain ways.
‘Holding the rods, one in each hand in front of us, we asked the spirit to “show me my yes”, and then the same for “no”. The rods should move differently for each response – left for yes, right for no, for example – and once you know how they will answer, you can start to ask questions.
‘If the rods were telling the truth, I made contact with a lady who had lived in the building during the 1800s.
‘Considering the other girls had no luck with their rods, I was astounded that I managed to get in touch with someone… or something. And I have to admit that our editorial meetings in the boardroom will never be the same again.’
Melonie, staff writer‘Going into the archive in the basement has never bothered me before. The basement is a little creepy, but I would happily rummage through our past issues without a second thought. However, after our ghost hunt, I haven’t been down there again.
‘Standing in a circle holding hands (to create a field of energy spirits can use to communicate), in the pitch darkness, I was already on edge. But then Wayne and Paul called out for any spirits to come forward… and we heard the crystal clear sound of footsteps coming towards the room. In an empty building in the middle of the night, who else could it have been?
‘Wayne called out again to make sure the noises weren’t just a fluke. Our grip on each other’s hands tightened as once again we clearly heard the footsteps. Switching the lights on and making a hasty exit, I couldn’t quite believe – and neither could Wayne and Paul – how much ‘activity’ we experienced in a single evening.
‘If Haunted Happenings has its way, The Lady offices will be a spooky destination you can visit. Ghost-hunting Lady Lunch, anyone?
Haunted Happenings: 01527-451873, www.hauntedhappenings.co.uk
A history of Bedford Street, London WC2
- After the Great Fire of London a number of businesses moved to Bedford Street, including an upholsterer in October 1666.
- The character of the street in the 18th century is indicated by John Strype in 1720: ‘Bedford Street, a handsome broad street, with very good houses, which, since the Fire of London, are generally taken up by Eminent tradesmen, as Mercers, Lacemen, Drapers, etc… But the west side of this street is the best.’
- At some stage in the 19th century the building was apparently used as a tea warehouse.
- The Lady moved to the building around 1890 from its previous residence on Tavistock Street. u During the 20th century many of the rooms in the building were let to various tenants.
- Simons Muirhead & Allan (now Simons Muirhead & Burton) were among these tenants and part of the third floor was occupied by officials of the Ministry of Health. The architects Ronald Cox Associates occupied most of the fourth floor. By 1980 the leases of all the other tenants had expired, leaving the building occupied solely by The Lady.
How to hunt a ghost
Ouija board
Ouija boards first went on sale in 1891 and were regarded as nothing more than a harmless parlour game. Sales of the board rose during the 1900s and it wasn’t until the 1960s that it took on a less than rosy image. Used in many horror movies such as Tales From The Crypt, the ouija board went from innocent pastime to tool of terror. Despite this the boards are still widely sold today.
Table tipping
This was a popular Victorian method of contacting the spirit world. Participants rub their hands together and then place them on the table, creating an energy field that spirits can use to make contact. Questions such as ‘Can you pull the table to where you are situated?’ and asking for the table to be tipped one way for ‘yes’ and the other for ‘no’ can result in taps and knocks as well as the table moving in either a tipping or rocking motion.
Knocking
Using knocks and sounds to contact ghosts was first employed by the Fox family in New York in 1848. When the family first moved into their home, they experienced no problems, although several previous tenants had left, owing to mysterious noises. However, after a year, they started hearing furniture moving at night. Looking all over the house and finding nothing, the youngest daughter, Kate, noticed the noises came in response to sounds the family made. Wanting to communicate, they used one tap for ‘yes’ and silence for ‘no’. Using this method they discovered the spirit in their house was that of a 31-year-old man who had been murdered and was buried in the cellar.