Superstitious City
[JUMP TO LISTINGS]
Legend tells us of H.M.S. Friday; her keel was laid on a Friday, she was launched on a Friday, crewed on a Friday and captained by James Friday. The British Admiralty were determined to use this ship to debunk sailor's superstitious fears of Friday, and so H.M.S. Friday duly set sail, on a Friday. The trouble was.... she was never heard of again. In a 19th Century flurry of paraskevidekatriaphobia (that's 'fear of Friday 13th' to you and me), Lloyds of London begun refusing insurance to any ship launched on Friday 13th.
It's quite plain that we still harbour an uneasy fear of this particularly portentous date; work absenteeism rises, few people will marry, less people travel, and worse still, according to a 1993 study by the British Medical Association, your chances of hospital admission as a result of a transport accident may be increased by as much as 52 percent.
We've delved a little deeper into the dark cupboard of London's superstitions to bring out a few of its other rattling skeletons, quite literally in one case. Rabbit's foot clutched, horseshoe draped and fingers crossed as you search them out.
[GO TO PAGE TOP]
The Listings:
Kaspar the Cat
The Savoy Hotel
1 Savoy Hill, Strand, WC2R OEU
TRANSPORT: Charing Cross
HOURS:
PHONE: 020 78364343
{Opened in 1889 by Richard D'Oyly Carte, the Savoy is one of London's finest hotels. It has long been cherished by the rich and famous for its grandiose Art Deco interiors and its tradition of service and comfort.
}
Book a party of thirteen at the Hotel's famous Savoy Grill, and you'll find that your table is set for an extra guest. Kaspar the black cat, a three foot high sculpture by Basil Ionides, has joined guests ever since he was commissioned by the Hotel in the 1920s.
It all began in 1898 when Woolf Joel, a South African guest at the Hotel, gave a dinner party to which only thirteen were able to attend. He laughed off the old superstition that tragedy would fall upon the first guest to rise from such a gathering, and so the dinner continued. His fellows' fears were soon justified however, when Woolf was fatally shot following his return to Johannesburg.
When the Hotel received news of the tragedy, steps were taken to prevent any chance of a repetition. A member of staff would at first accompany all groups of 13, until Kaspar was created specially for the job. The handsome cat, who is served each course, was at one time even under the protection of Winston Churchill, who secured his safe return following a prank by members of the RAF.
Photograph by courtesy of The Savoy Hotel
Lovett’s Lucky Drawers
Cuming Museum
155-157 Walworth Road, SE17
TRANSPORT: Elephant & Castle
HOURS:10-5 tues-sat
PHONE: 020 77011342
{It took two generations for the Cuming family to gather together this peculiar collection of artifacts. Small and slightly battered--but full of charm and attraction--the museum was first opened to the public in 1906.}
As your pull open the creaking drawers that are home to the Lovett Collection, you are peeping into the secret world of London Magic. Edward Lovett (1852-1933) was a quite extraordinary man who wandered the streets of Edwardian London buying up the weird and the esoteric.
Amongst the selection of objects on display, you'll find a selection of lucky miniature shoes, a cow's heart stuck with nails (the last resort of a dairyman who believed his herd to be cursed), a collection of lucky acorns to protect against lightning (the oak tree was thought to be the home of the god of lightning), a small bag containing a caul (thought to protect against drowning), and many other mysterious charms and talismen.
To keep the nightmares at bay, be sure to hang a horseshoe above your bed, covered over at night with a red cloth.
A Squawking Vigil
The Tower of London
Tower Hill,, EC3
TRANSPORT: Tower Hill
HOURS:Summer M-S: 9-5, Sun: 10-5. Winter Mon & Sun: 10-4, T-S: 9-4
PHONE: 020 77090765
{Two and a half million visitors a year can't be wrong. The Tower of London is one of the capital's greatest attractions. Once set on the edge of the city wall, this fantastic historical gem has served as a castle, prison, palace, menagerie and Royal Mint. Amongst its many other attractions it remains home to that bizarre collection of baubles, the Crown Jewels.}
As part of the excellent guided tour provided each half hour by one of the Yeoman Warders (or Beefeaters), you'll get to meet the Tower's most infamous living residents, the ravens. These big guys rule the nest, and don't they know it. Their lair is the area around Tower Green (the private location for royal headchopping), and it's here that you'll be fixed by the piercing sideways stare of their jet-black eyes.
It's no surprise they eye you so confidently; their forefathers have been here since the thirteenth century, and for the last 400 years they have been protected by royal decree. Of the Tower's many superstitions and legends, these feathered fiends are perhaps the best known. It is said that were they to leave the protection of the Tower, Tower and Kingdom both would fall. Not wishing to take any risks with the nation's well-being, the Raven-master has their wings regularly clipped. In fact they never leave--there's a special raven cemetery in the moat near the main entrance.
Superstitious Sam
Dr. Johnson’s House
17 Gough Square, EC4
TRANSPORT: Temple
HOURS:May-Sept, M-Sat: 11am-5.30pm. Oct-Apr, M-Sat: 11am-5pm
PHONE: 020 73533745
{A maze-like network of passageways and alleys lead you from Fleet Street to the cobbled square where the famous London lexicographer Dr. Samuel Johnson once lived. This sturdy example of Georgian architecture was the home in which he completed the first ever dictionary of the English language (1747-1759). It is now open to the public as a museum.}
The number of Johnsonian anecdotes are almost enough to make you the "man who is tired of London...". Here's another one for good measure.
It is a strange fact that the good Doctor, who possessed such a powerful and ordered mind (witness his great dictionary), should also succumb to the chaotic and mysterious side of London life. In his own ritual of urban superstition, he found it necessary to touch every post on Fleet Street as he passed to and thro on his daily business.
As if to reinforce his superstition, Fleet Street--like several other London streets (Park Lane, Oxford St. and the Haymarket to name just a few)--has no address number 13.
You may feel it expedient to honour the Doctor's ritual as you make your way to visit his former home.
Hard to Figure
The Cutty Sark
King William Walk, SE10
TRANSPORT: Cutty Sark (DLR)
HOURS:Jun-Sep M-S: 10-6, Sun: noon-6. Oct-May M-S: 10-5, Sun: noon-5
PHONE: 020 88583445
{Resting in a specially constructed dry-dock near to Greenwich Pier, you'll find the world's fastest and last surviving tea-clipper. The Cutty Sark was built in 1869 and took the world speed record for a voyage racing tea home from China in only 107 days. Visitors can now wander her smart decks, gaze up at the intricate rigging, and, on certain days, meet with costumed crew.
}
Sailors have always been a superstitious bunch; their strange fear of the humble rabbit (referred to in hush tones as `them furry things') has always been particularly hard to fathom. Here, on the lower deck, you can find a collection of those most visible emblems of salty superstition: ship's figureheads. An old sea-legend has it that "a naked woman aboard a ship calms the sea", which explains the proliferation of topless figureheads.
Crews of the Cutty Sark saw more than their fair share of sea-mysteries over the years, including one brought on by a novice sailor who made a model of the figurehead in a bottle. The crew were seriously unhappy about the bad luck that this might bring, and a spooky encounter with a ghost ship on the high seas led to the quick disposal of the offending item. In times of acute fear sailors would run to the ship's naked figurehead for protection. In the exhibition on the Cutty Sark, you're spoilt for choice.
Garbriel’s Woe
St. Andrew’s by the Wardrobe
Queen Victoria Street, EC4
TRANSPORT: Cannon Street
HOURS:
PHONE:
{The first recorded mention of a church on this site was in 1244. The earlier building was destroyed by the Great Fire of London, and rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren in 1685-95. It was the last of his city churches and also the cheapest. The building was nearly destroyed again during the Blitz, but was completely rebuilt to Wren's original designs in 1959.}
High up in St. Peter's tower hangs Gabriel, a 15th Century bell cast in Worcester and previously at home in the Parish Church of Avenbury, Herefordshire. Gabriel was brought to London in 1933, and with it came it's eerie reputation.
Superstition had it that whenever the Vicar of Avenbury died Gabriel would ring in mournful respect--without the help of human hands. Shortly after it was installed at St. Peter's, Gabriel woke the locals with his mysterious ringing. Many people heard his lonely chime, but when the church was inspected it was found to be locked and empty. The following day, news reached London of the sad demise of the Avenbury vicar.
The Mummy’s Curse
British Museum
Great Russell Street, WC1B3DG
TRANSPORT: Tottenham Court Road
HOURS:M-Sat 10-5, Sun noon-5
PHONE: 020 76361555
{The nation's treasure house, the British Museum houses a superb collection of artefacts and antiquities from around the world. Robert Smyrke's 1823 building was modelled in the classical Greek style.
}
The spine-chilling history that is purported to accompany exhibit 22542 makes it well worth seeking out. Take yourself to case 21 in room 62 to come face to face with the infamous Mummy’s Curse. The simple label that reads "Painted wooden mummy-board of an unidentified woman" tells nothing of the legendary tale of terror that has long been associated with this eerie exhibit.
Since the reported sudden tragic deaths of the four men who originally obtained the piece in the 1860s, other tragedies and rumours have surrounded the mummy board. Accounts tell of how the carrier who delivered the lid to the museum died within a week, and a man who installed it suffered a terrible accident. A photographer whose photographs apparently showed a distorted view of the mummy’s face is said to have committed suicide within the year. Most infamous of all is the claim that the museum, eager to rid itself of the curse, sold the lid to a collector in New York, and booked it in for delivery on the ill-fated RMS Titanic in 1912.
The British Museum deny the lid has ever left London (except once in 1990), but the strange aura and the occasional unnerving noises that are sometimes heard from the exhibit continue to preserve the memory of the mummy’s curse.
The Dead Man’s Tree
Green Park
Piccadilly, SW1
TRANSPORT: Green Park
HOURS:daily: dawn-dusk
PHONE:
{Green Park is just what it says on the packet: green, with plenty of plane trees but no flowers (except during the Spring when great seas of yellow daffodils appear). It was first enclosed by Henry VIII, and made into a royal park by Charles II. Deckchairs are available during the summer.}
At dusk, a melancholic atmosphere is said to pervade the north side of Green Park. You may find this particularly noticeable around one of the old gnarled plane trees in the vicinity of the Park Lane Hotel. This tree is known as the Dead Man's Tree and, reputably, has been the tragic location of many hangings, suicides and deaths.
Indeed, the area has a sinister history; the park itself was once the site of a leper colony, and today the old River Tyburn still flows silently beneath its grassy banks. The River Tyburn is one of London's lost rivers and flows underground, giving its name to the old 'Tyburn Tree' (the gruesome execution scaffold that once stood at what is now Marble Arch) and running directly under this, the ill-fated 'Dead Man's Tree'.
In the past many duels have been fought here, and on certain evenings the setting sun turns the patches of grass beneath the tree a most unsettling shade of blood red. Perhaps the easiest way to locate its sombre trunk is to walk a dog through the park; animals apparently take care to avoid the spot, and you'll find no birds singing here. For final confirmation, press your ear to it's bark; the Dead Man's Tree will sigh back mournfully in a low desperate groan.
A Stone of Destiny
The London Stone
111 Cannon Street, EC4
TRANSPORT: Cannon Street
HOURS:24 hours
PHONE:
{London's most mysterious emblem is a small unremarkable chunk of limestone on Cannon Street that people have been talking about since the 10th Century. You'll find it set in the wall of the Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation at number 111.}
Its origin is unclear, its purpose undecided, but it's importance should not be underestimated. Why? Just because...that's why.
When the rebellious Jack Cade stormed into London in 1450 he struck the London Stone with his sword and declared himself "Lord of the City". Sword wielding revolutionaries will have a little trouble now though--the stone sits safely behind both iron bars and glass. It's a remarkable thing that this diminutive lump of oolite limestone has survived at all, passing through so much of the city's turbulent history: the Norman invasion, the great fire, and the blitz.
Some believe the stone dates from Roman times. There is an ancient city proverb that states "So long as the stone of Brutus is safe, so long shall London flourish". It seems to have always been here, so the theory has yet to be put to the test.
Cleopatra’s Tragic Gift
Cleopatra’s Needle
Victoria Embankment, WC2
TRANSPORT: Embankment
HOURS:Daily: 24 Hours
PHONE:
{London's oldest monument was cut in the quarries of ancient Egypt in 1475 BC when London wasn't even a twinkle in Caesar's eye. The 60 foot high obelisk bears inscriptions dedicated to Pharaoh Tethmosis III, with Ramses II and Cleopatra added later. It was presented to the British Government in 1819 by Mohammed Ali, the Turkish Viceroy of Egypt.}
Queen Cleopatra's suicide, a tragic reaction to the death of her lover Mark Antony, is said to have cursed this magnificent monument that bears her name. It had been offered as a gift to the nation on several occasions, and was repeatedly turned down. When it was finally accepted, its journey here from Egypt was not without tragedy. A ferocious storm blew up in the Bay of Biscay and six of the sailors transporting the ancient gift were drowned. The specially made iron cylinder that transported the stone was lost for a time; it was eventually recovered and towed to a Spanish port.
Since the needle's arrival on the Thames it has been a focus for superstitious belief. It has been said that more suicides occur here than on any other part of the river, and many people have heard strange laughter in the vicinity. Others have seen ghostly figures jumping into the dark waters.
Mother’s Ruin
Primrose Hill
Prince Albert Road, NW8
TRANSPORT: Chalk Farm
HOURS:
PHONE:
{One of London's best viewpoints, Primrose Hill stands like a full stop to the north of Regent's Park and London Zoo. It was first cleared for meadowland during the reign of Elizabeth I.}
Old Mother Shipton, the infamous 16th century prophetess, had a few things to say about Primrose Hill, then situated in the fields outside the city. When London surrounded the hill, she predicted, the city's streets would run with blood. Though some might argue the accuracy of that particular prediction, some of the old seer's other visions have borne some remarkable truths. Take a look at these extracts:
Around the world men's thoughts will fly
Quick as the twinkling of an eye...
In water, iron, then shall float
As easy as a wooden boat...
For in those wondrous far off days
The women shall adopt a craze
To dress like men, and trousers wear
And to cut off their locks of hair...
And roaring monsters with man atop
Does seem to eat the verdant crop...
When pictures seem alive with movements free
When boats like fishes swim beneath the sea,
When men like birds shall scour the sky
Then half the world, deep drenched in blood shall die.
The Prophecies of Old Mother Shipton
The Hanged Man
Royal College of Surgeons - Hunterian Museum
35-43 Lincoln's Inn Fields, WC2
TRANSPORT: Holborn
HOURS: Sorry - Currently closed for refurbishment (usually Mon-Fri: 10-5)
PHONE: 020 7869 6560
{(PLEASE NOTE: This museum is currently closed for a major refurbishment)
The macabre anatomical collection of scientist and surgeon John Hunter (1728-93) which is housed on the first floor of the Royal College of Surgeons. A door from the museum connects to the Odontological Museum, also open to the public. Ask at the reception desk for directions.}
It's not every day that you come face to face with a hanged man, but in the upper gallery of the Hunterian Museum you can do just that--and you can take your pick.
The bodies of the executed were prized acquisitions of both the scientist and the superstitious. Once cut down from the scaffold, the bodies were sold to surgeons for elaborate public dissections lasting up to three days. But their use was not limited to scientific advancement alone.
Many superstitious beliefs surrounded the magical powers attributed to the body of a hanged man. As part of the horrific ritual of execution, members of the crowd would rush forward at the moment of death to touch the dead man's hand against any afflicted part of their body; they believed that it would cure them of anything from warts and pimples to more serious ailments. Skulls of the condemned were especially prized (drinking water from them was considered highly beneficial). The dead person's clothes, the earth from beneath the scaffold and lengths of the hangman's rope were all items of great superstitious value, and were sold openly in the hours following the execution.
The museum retains the skeletons of two condemned men, the notorious Jonathan Wilde (executed 1725) and William Corder (1828).
[mood] [obsessn] [kywrd]
[home]
[about] [terms] [contact]
© 2002 Moodmapper
This version has bee optimised for mobile devices.
You can visit our full size site at:
www.moodmapper.com
switch to:
[PocketPC Versn.] [Palm Versn.]