A Haunted London Theatre
Nestled in the heart of London’s Theatre District lies arguable on of the most famous haunted theatres in all of London: the Theatre Royal. This theater was originally built in 1663 and the primary competitor to what at the time was the Globe Theatre, and has since burned down twice in 1672 and 1809 (it was also demolished and rebuilt in 1791). The modern Theatre Royal as it stands today was opened in 1812 and is listed as Grade I in the UK’s Statutory List of Buildings of Special and Architectural or Historic Interest.
With such a long, rich, and disastrous history, it should come as no surprise that this beautiful theatre is also known as the most haunted. The first and earliest ghost is that of Joseph Grimaldi, a late eighteenth and nineteenth century actor who established the pantomime tradition at the Theatre Royal and later died in 1837 of a unknown, long-term debilitating disease. The iconic white theatre masks are now called “Joeys” in honor of Joseph Grimaldi.
One of Grimaldi’s final wishes was for his head to be cut off before his body was buried. No one knows why, but it could possibly explain the white face which has been spotted floating around the theatre. Joseph- or rather, his ghost- is also notorious for giving people a good hard kick in the behind. Countless actors, actresses, theatre employees, and cleaners have been given the boot during the course of their daily duties but so far no one from the general public has been harassed.
Also nestled in the heart of London’s Theatre District is the Waldorf Hotel London. The Waldorf hotel is one of the oldest and most beautiful hotels in the district, and while there haven’t been any reported hauntings in the hotel, it still makes a very nice place to rest for the traveling ghost hunter.
Processing your request, Please wait....
