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Spooks On The Tube: Ghosts Of London Underground

The Bakerloo line strikes me as slightly hot, steamy, made of cracked tiles and smelling ever so slightly of farts, like a disused sauna. I hate it. The Northern line doesn't have that negative an association for me as when I first moved here I lived in Finchley, and as a result had lots of stops in the nice open sunshine prior to plunging into the tunnels. I did once however find a dead body in the tube carriage at Mill Hill East :shock:.

A couple of years ago on a not-quite-as-it-used to be pop gossip website there was a recurrent cliche about the last carriage on the Northern Line trains which I never really got - are they supposed to be popular places to get propositioned?

Finally I live in Brixton now and as a result, when I intermittently get the tube, use the Victoria Line, and it's horrible, has an incipient air of violence and always seems very busy, even when it's not.
 
well, it was summer, I was going out with a girl who lived in Mill Hill, and was leaving her house at about 8 on a Sunday evening to go back to Walthamstow. As it's the last train on the line you wait for ages, one shows up and empties, you wait for ages again as a couple of people trickle on to it, then it takes off. I was the only person waiting to get the train but quite a few people got off.

Anyway I wandered down the train and as I was going past an empty carriage (which people had until a few moments before been sitting on - welcome to London, yeah) noticed a dead man slumped on the floor with his arms stuck on the seat dividers. he was grey and not breathing and stank, so obviously dead. the thing is, people had been sitting just down the carriage from him and not done anything. like I said, welcome to London. i called the guard etc. and got the bus :(
 
I wonder if some stations which have a "bad atmosphere" have a higher than average number of people throwing themselves under trains? If so is it cause or effect?
 
noticed a dead man slumped on the floor with his arms stuck on the seat dividers. he was grey and not breathing and stank, so obviously dead.
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:( Blimey. I have to say, I'd probably have just thought he was drunk, rather than dead. I've seen lots of comatose people on the last tube. But, still...


I wonder if some stations which have a "bad atmosphere" have a higher than average number of people throwing themselves under trains? If so is it cause or effect?
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Mile End ("Smile Ends"; it really is a grim station) is notorious for suicides... in fact there's a telephone to Samaritans at one end of the westbound Central Line platform (This isn't an UL ... it's really there)
 
Mike_Pratt33 said:
I wonder if some stations which have a "bad atmosphere" have a higher than average number of people throwing themselves under trains? If so is it cause or effect?
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The only jumpers I experienced were on the District and Circle line, with one at Earls court and one at Parson Green. Luckily I wasn't there to see the incidents just was delayed as a result there of. Don't know what caused the Parson Green Jumper, perhaps he had been Lloyd's Names or Arabella had left him for Harry or some such thing. Who knows.

I agree about the Victoria line, there is a slight uneasy slightly violent feel to it and the Bakerloo does stink of stale farts. I prefered the Jubilee line and the Central line because of the brightness of the tunnels and the sense of speed say in comparison to the District line.

Aldgate always gave me the creeps, it may have something to do with the area (Jack the Ripper and all that), but I have heard that it was haunted and now after the bombings I would say that it unfortunately would be .
 
Russell Square Tube station always freaks me out - although i can't pin down exactly why that it is. It's so bad, i've avoided using it since the eighties. Obviously I'm not the only one, as Deathline was set at Russell Square Tube Station, and in the Swamp Thing/Hell Blazer comics (it was about the time that Hellblazer started) a nun is killed there (either there, or Mornington Crescent). (i saw both of these long after i'd been freaked out by Russell Square)

And oddly enough, Russell Square Tube Station was near where one of the 7/7 bombs went off, and I believe that it was people being evacuated from Russell Square Tube station that got onto the bus that exploded. maybe my odd feelings about it somehow come from something resonating backwards in time from that day.
 
There was a great IHTM story on here about three / four years ago about a person walking into Waterloo Station and it time shifting to show clothing drying and people living down there.

It's quite possible that some people do pick up on the negative atmosphere of the tube, it's crowded most of the time, it's expensive and there's nothing worse than being stuck in a tunnel without any explanation of how long or why your there. A breeding ground for all things negative if you ask me. Within two years they're introducing the ability to use your mobile on the tube - so you'll still be stuck in the tunnel for twenty minutes but at least you'll be able to phone someone and say you'll be late.

I saw an email a while back that listed all the things that had been found on one seat of the tube that had been analysed...everything from fresh semen to a rare insect that apparently only survives down there.
 
Waterloo Station Time Slip IHTM

AsamiYamazaki said:
Hello all! It's my first time posting here and just wanted to mention an experience I had, namely, back in May or June of 1992, I experienced what I can only think was a time slip.
Going up to London with a new boyfriend, we caught a train to Waterloo and then headed down into the underground. I can’t remember which entrance we took: I just remember heading down the escalators and seeing scraps of paper lazily blow past me up the other way. That was the first hint of weirdness. The paper wasn’t gusting like it normally would in the blast of subway air – this was deliberately slow mo.
It was at that point that I think I sensed the shift in atmosphere. From the normally bustling energy of Waterloo on a Saturday, it segued into a heavier depressing gloom. Everything was too quiet. Even though there were still people around, they all seemed subdued. It was almost like being underwater.
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And it's amazing how much we've discussed the Haunted Tube before!
Tube station UL
Spirits of the Underground
Ghost in Tube Station
Forgotten Tube Stations
Haunted Tube Stations

Maybe they should all come together!
 
MaxMolyneux said:
And it's amazing how much we've discussed the Haunted Tube before!
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Because it's london and it's underground is famous.
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And the entire system is creepy and scary and atmospheric and somhow dark and twisted. One of the Sherlock Holmes stories involves a body falling off the top of the tube train as it passes round a corner, so its inspired darkness and horror ever since it first opened.
 
I love the tube! It's brilliant! Well obviously it's smelly and dirty and annoying and expensive and crowded - much like London really, and we still love London.

I really miss it now i drive to work. I'd rather get the tube any time.

I think part of the air of violence of the Victoria is that it's also really really noisy. There are bits up near Finsbury Park that you can't have a conversation on, and I hate all that seating where you're facing people but it's not quite wide enough.

And yes - the District is kind of like a rusty Austin Allegra. It does rattle along slowly too. But so spacious! And the wooden floors are so cool!

And the MAP! The map is soooo brilliant!

I agree about the Bakerloo line.
 
michelleeb1970 said:
MaxMolyneux said:
And it's amazing how much we've discussed the Haunted Tube before!
Click to expand...

Because it's london and it's underground is famous.
Click to expand...

And the entire system is creepy and scary and atmospheric and somhow dark and twisted. One of the Sherlock Holmes stories involves a body falling off the top of the tube train as it passes round a corner, so its inspired darkness and horror ever since it first opened.
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That's the Metropolitan Line. And I'm sure those trains are still in service too!!!

I like the tube. I don't like the filth and black bogeys you get but I like the fact you can dash about terribly fast all over London in a snip.

I always used to look out of the windows and once saw gnomes in one of the tunnels. I think they belonged to a jokey engineer and were gone the next day. Sometimes the announcers are hilarious and the once I saw a sign saying "Currently there are NO problems on the Underground. ENJOY!!"

:D

Re Throw's comments about a dead man: A few years ago a man was on the Circle Line all day going round and round dead as a door nail. It was only reported because a person who sat next to this chap in the morning saw him in the same position at 5.30 that night and raised the alarm. Also my sister used to work at The Commonwealth Institute and their resident taxidermist had a 14 foot long crocodile nicked. It was last seen enetering the tube entrance at High St Kensington and never seen again. Not one person saw a bloody thing!!! How funny is that? :D
 
The day after we got married, I managed to 'lose' my bridegroom on the tube. We were reunited at Mornington Crescent. :D
 
It's funny reading the recent posts - I was going to mention my timeslippy experience but Mooksta saved me the trouble - cheers! :)

The line we ended up on during the whole weird experience was the northern line and like some other people I've always found it the most creepy/oppressive. Whenever i'm on it, I always remember the bloke close by who looked like he was going to pop with panic.

Mind you, the northern line has an extra dismal history for me because it always used to sum up missing the end of a gig or something and then hacking back to Waterloo, climbing up all the escalators that always used to be out of order to catch the last train only to miss it.
 
michelleeb1970 said:
MaxMolyneux said:
And it's amazing how much we've discussed the Haunted Tube before!
Click to expand...

Because it's london and it's underground is famous.
Click to expand...

And the entire system is creepy and scary and atmospheric and somhow dark and twisted. One of the Sherlock Holmes stories involves a body falling off the top of the tube train as it passes round a corner, so its inspired darkness and horror ever since it first opened.
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Could be just as creepy elsewhere but London does get more publicity.
 
That's because London is the centre of the universe, didn't you know?
 
AsamiYamazaki said:
It's funny reading the recent posts - I was going to mention my timeslippy experience but Mooksta saved me the trouble - cheers! :)

The line we ended up on during the whole weird experience was the northern line and like some other people I've always found it the most creepy/oppressive. Whenever i'm on it, I always remember the bloke close by who looked like he was going to pop with panic.

Mind you, the northern line has an extra dismal history for me because it always used to sum up missing the end of a gig or something and then hacking back to Waterloo, climbing up all the escalators that always used to be out of order to catch the last train only to miss it.
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Tell us about your timeslippy experience. You know you want too!
 
I LOVE the tube, and find it completely fascinating, and in my 2 years living in London I always enjoyed travelling on it (ok, not at peak hour with my nose jammed in someone's armpit).

I always used to look out for the disused British Museum station when on the Central Line. I think it's between Tottenham Court Rd and Holborn if I remember rightly. You can still see the white tiles on the walls as well as piles of rubble where the platform used to be. I guess it's used for storage now.

I agree that the Northern Line has a dismal atmosphere to it. I wonder if it's just the black colouring on the tube map. I do think colours have a huge effect on people. Maybe also why people think the Bakerloo line smells farty - it is the brown line after all. :) Although I always thought of Bakerloo as being rather miserable too.

I never felt uncomfortable at Kings Cross, apart from it being like a maze and the seemingly deliberately misleading signs.

I did find when I lived in London however, that Holborn made me very uneasy. I remember waiting for trains several times in the middle of the day and being one of the only people on the platform and feeling oppressed and uncomfortable and as though the very black and white tiles were exuding malice. Does anyone else find Holborn creepy or know of any stories?

I also found Bank very unpleasant.

And on the long stretch between Baker St and St John's Wood on the Jubilee Line I would often inexplicably find it hard to breathe. I wonder if it was something to do with a sudden change in depth. I can't remember if it was at the same place as where my ears always popped, or is the ear popping location between St John's Wood and Swiss Cottage?

Ah how I miss the tube.
 
escargot1 said:
The day after we got married, I managed to 'lose' my bridegroom on the tube. We were reunited at Mornington Crescent. :D
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Was it intentional? :lol:
 
Well, it was the morning after my wedding night. Never too late to start playing hard-to-get! :D
 
lardfan said:
*snip*

I also found Bank very unpleasant.

*snip*
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There is something about Bank that makes me feel uncomfortable too. It's a real opressive feeling, like someone is pushing down on your shoulders. Last time I was there it was a weekend and pretty quiet, which in my mind made it feel worse. I couldn't wait to get out of there.

As for Kings Cross, it's not the station that makes me feel uncomfortable it's the surrounding area. To me it feels sinister and a bit threatening.
 
I'm with others on the Bank thing. Unpleasant is a good word for it. I ended up there by accident the other day and only then realized that subconciously I'd planned a route to avoid it.

I've never liked the central line but I assumed it was perhaps because it was one of the lines I was less familiar with growing up, but then i love the jubilee line (especially the lovely noise it makes) and that always used to be the less-travelled line of hell coming back from Wembley arena. Maybe the central line is funny because it's because that was the line that most guardian angels used to patrol on and their insecure militaristic posturings have left an unpleasant residue.
 
I did find when I lived in London however, that Holborn made me very uneasy. I remember waiting for trains several times in the middle of the day and being one of the only people on the platform and feeling oppressed and uncomfortable and as though the very black and white tiles were exuding malice. Does anyone else find Holborn creepy or know of any stories?
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There was a movie in the 30s or 40s about an ancient Egyptian curse affecting Holborn following the move of a mummy to the British Museum. Apparently at the time some people believed it based on a true story.

It wasn't, but what was interesting was that around the same time 2 women disappeared from the platform at Holborn station. Perhaps you have picked up on this and that is why you find the station spooky?
 
The thing about Bank Station is that the platforms are comparatively narrow, the line is curved (which is why the trains make that hateful screeching) and the ceiling seems lower than other stations – though maybe that's an optical illusion.
 
hallybods said:
lardfan said:
*snip*

I also found Bank very unpleasant.

*snip*
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There is something about Bank that makes me feel uncomfortable too. It's a real opressive feeling, like someone is pushing down on your shoulders. Last time I was there it was a weekend and pretty quiet, which in my mind made it feel worse. I couldn't wait to get out of there.
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A while back I came across this and kept it for future reference, maybe it would explain why "someone is pushing down on your shoulders":

11 March 1941
A bomb lands outside Bank Underground Station causing the road to fall in to the station below where two trains are standing. 68 people are killed.

link

When I first read it I thought "If any tube station should be haunted, it's that one." (and King's Cross of course)



edited by TheQuixote: fixed big link
 
A while back I came across this and kept it for future reference, maybe it would explain why "someone is pushing down on your shoulders":

What shocked me in the link you included was the large number of bombs that have been left by a variety of different groups at railway stations. Nothing changes, just the names of the maniacs who think its ok to kill innocent people to get your message in the news - and this includes the Suffragettes of all people.
 
There are lots of horrible incidents, though, at lots of different stations.

8th March 1943
As 1,500 people are entering a shelter at Bethnal Green Underground Station, someone stumbles. The crowds continue to push down the stairs and many people are crushed and suffocate. The final death
toll is 173 and details remained classified until after the War.
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14th October 1940
A German bomb fractures a water main and an underground river which floods into the tunnels at Balham Underground Station. 68 people are drowned. It takes three months to clear the site and recover the bodies.
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Is there any reason why Bank should be affected and Bethnal Green not (for example)?



Incidentally, this is my favourite
15th December 1949
800 Christmas Puddings are stolen from Wellington Street Good Depot in Leeds.
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While channel-hopping last night I saw some of a music video set on Bank station. I thought, where've I heard of that place recently, ah yes, the FTMB! :D
 
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