British Museum station

A double whammy here - a ghost station and a ghost. British Museum station closed on the 25 September, 1933. There was a local myth that the station was haunted by the ghost of an Ancient Egyptian. Dressed in a loincloth and headdress, the figure would emerge late at night. The rumour grew so strong that a newspaper offered a reward to anyone who would spend the night there. No one attempted to do this!

The story takes a stranger turn after the closure of the station. The comedy thriller, Bulldog Jack, was made in 1935 which included a secret (fictitious) tunnel from the station to the Egyptian room at the Museum. The station in the film was called 'Bloomsbury', and in all likelihood was a stage set, but it was based on the ghost story of British Museum.

On the same night that the film was released, two women disappeared from the platform at Holborn - the next station along from where British Museum was. Marks were later found on the walls of the closed station. More sightings of the ghost were reported along with strange moanings from the walls of the tunnels. Eventually the story was hushed up as London Underground has always denied the existence of the tunnel from the station to the Egyptian Room.

However the lead character in Keith Lowe's novel Tunnel Vision resurrects the story to impress/scare his girlfriend with tales of tube horror.

He writes:

If you listen carefully when you're standing at the platform at Holborn, sometimes - just sometimes - you can hear the wailing of Egyptian voices floating down the tunnel towards you.

Hey Bongo

Wow thats really interesting , its a shame that the station isn't around any more would be nice to have a look around there , i think that it would be difficult to get access to that if it has been blocked off for so many years .

But for a fact i know that there are so many stories that the london underground is haunted due the removal of so many human remains during the construction .

greets
ian

Very interesting read,

The london underground has so many rumored "secret passageways" from the war to help protect the people from the bombings. There maybe a few but i dont think anyone will give up the info if the stories are true.

Hi Bongo..
great story shame this place is not arond anymore!....strange how somone so far back in history would choose to haunt a british train station?
maybe a good idea to try and find out why?
really great work on dogging thid up..maybe gps should think about trying to investgate some on the underground stations that have closed down?

I agree on that one phil , but i am pretty sure that the station is still there but has just been closed off , the London underground is said to be one of the most haunted places in the country , there have been so many stories over the years and most of the stations are still being used , there is a documentary on the google video called "ghosts of the london underground" and there are some really amazing stories that have come out of there .
When they built the tunnels they had to remove alot of human remains that were buried and since then they have been reporting hauntings in the stations and tunnels , some workers have even quit their jobs because of these hauntings .

greets
ian

Hi
I agree london underground has so many stories just so much more history bursting to get out. my gramp in the war before he was shiped to eygpt he had to spend time in a large room built for military to stay in which was part of the london underground net work i think he had to stay there when he got back as well so the sound of an eygiptian to be there sounds very possible.

Matt

The british museum supposedly has an entrance to the closed station somewhere in the egyption room!

I went past the British Museum today - what an absolutely stunning building! 41 years on the planet and never been there - sheesh! bad!

I just wonder, if there was ever a decent and serious paranomal investigation team down there. I had a brief look on the web, but didn't really find anything, except Most Haunted.

But then, the tube's size is enormous, countless "dead" tunnels, never been used since a century etc. How could a team possibly cover it, also without getting lost. Then there's the risk factor as well... one false step in the wrong tunnel and one risks to get lost, old, badly isolated electric wirings, the risks are numerous, i would say, especially in pitch black. But nevertheless there must be also places down there, where workers were killed by digging the tunnels, people dieing during the bombings in WW2 etc.

I really think it would be worth digging out a bit more about it and try to find out, who is actually in charge to give permission for an investigation.

And should we get the ok for it (LOL i am way ahead now) then you can count Ian and me in on that case... never mind the risks

greets,
Hella

I did seriously consider this for us to do some time back, but the people who own or regulate permissions etc are TFL Transport for London. Basically our Mayor of London 'Boris' has final say...He is such a crazy fool lol...

I may send them an email soon and beg beg beg....I shall contact the British Museum and see what they say, but I am sure that they will require us to have Public Liability Insurance worth at least £50 million lol....

I am going to see about getting the insurance for us all, but it will only be £2 Million cover.

Fingers crossed.

For anybody who wants to watch the 'Ghosts of the Underground' that Ian mentioned. Here is part 1 of 5: