ALL HALLOWS EVE 2012 – GUEST AUTHOR: Suzanne McLeod “Spooky London” & Giveaway (ends 31/10/12)
Spooky London
Hello! I’m Suzanne McLeod and I’m thrilled to be here for BCC’s All Hallows Eve event telling you about my favourite spooky city – London! London’s a spook-tastic* place to visit, especially at Hallowe’en, as it has its fair share of ghosts and haunted abodes. Here are just a few of them (all of which have made appearances in at least one of my books, usually after I’ve mined their spookiness for inspiration! *inserts obligatory self-promo* *g*).
*sorry, couldn’t resist! #hangsheadinpunfilledshame
LONDON BRIDGE
London Bridge has quite a history going back 2000 years to Roman times, and while the current bridge is of fairly plain construction compared to its former incarnations, it’s what’s underneath that is spooky. The vaulted foundations of the bridge were originally used for storage but fell into disuse, then back in 2007 they were developed into a tourist attraction called the London Bridge Experience and the London Tombs, which is the winner of the UK’s Best Scare Attraction 2008-2011! During the building work they uncovered a pit full of skeletons – thought to be a plague pit – after which tools mysteriously disappeared and light bulbs blew for no reason, supposedly scaring the builders* who were working on the attraction.
*Check the date of the news report! *offers slight sceptical grin*
And if you fancy seeing the spooky vaults for yourself, here’s a video of when Londonist held a haunted sleep-over!
DEAD MAN’S HOLE – TOWER BRIDGE
The River Thames is tidal and so any bodies in the river tend to wash up at certain spots where the tide fights itself. One of these spots is Dead Man’s Hole, alongside which Tower Bridge was built (and completed in 1894). Now, around 50 bodies a year are found in the Thames, which is a huge amount, but back then there were even more. A lot were from folk who worked on the river, many of whom couldn’t swim; some from suicides; and more from those who were too poor to bury their dead so they disposed of the corpse (no doubt, in the dead of night) in the Thames instead. So, when they built Tower Bridge next to where all these bodies kept popping up, the practical Victorians decided to include a river landing point for easy retrieval, and a mortuary for handy storage, in the bridge’s north pier.
TOWER OF LONDON
The Tower of London is, unsurprisingly with its long and bloody history, one of the most haunted places in the UK. From the royal ghosts, all of whom were either murdered or executed, such as Henry VI, Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, the Princes in the Tower*, to the unnamed White Lady who haunts the White Tower, and even the ghost of a grizzly bear. Legend has it that the huge ghostly bear appeared near Martin Tower, and scared a guard so badly that he dropped dead of shock! (The guard that is, not the bear, who was, supposedly, already dead 
)
Whether the ghostly bear story is true or not*, there have been real bears at the tower in the past. Back in 1251, Henry III was given a polar bear by the king of Norway. The bear was kept on a long chain, and was able to swim and fish in the Thames. And in 1811, George III was given a grizzly bear by the Hudson Bay Company. The bear was called ‘Old Martin’ (likely after the Martin Tower) and after many years at the Tower he was moved to the (then) new London Zoo in Regent’s Park, where he lived out his days until 1838.
*The twelve year old Edward V and his brother Richard, allegedly disposed of by their uncle Richard III – Two skeletons, believed to be the princes, were unearthed beneath a staircase in the White Tower in 1674.
*If the guard dropped dead how does anyone know what scared him . . . 
HIGHGATE CEMETERY
Of course, anyone would expect a cemetery to be haunted and Highgate does have its fair share of ghosts, like the tall man in a hat who walks through the cemetery wall, a cyclist who puffs his way up the very steep* hill next to the cemetery, a grey-haired woman racing through the graves looking for her murdered children, a face with glowing red eyes glaring through the bars of the gate, and a shrouded figure who gazes pensively into space and who disappears if someone gets too close. But Highgate also has the Highgate Vampire, who supposedly haunted the cemetery in the early 1970s and, according to a local man, was a medieval nobleman from Romania, who was into the occult and who was buried at Highgate before it was made into a Cemetery.
I recently took some friends to visit Highgate (some pictures here). Unfortunately, due to my slavishly following Google maps, I insisted on all of us puffing our way up the very steep hill to the cemetery gates, only to discover they were the wrong gates! We’d walked right past the proper entrance! At least the walk back was ‘downhill’ and, after a cocktail or three, my friends forgave me the unexpected, extra exercise.
***
Thanks To BCC for having me guest, and to you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed my mini tour around spook-tastic London. If you’d like a chance to win one of my books, and find out more about the spooky places in the Spellcrackers world, leave a comment telling me what your favourite spooky place is.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Suzanne McLeod is the author of the Spellcrackers.com urban fantasy series about magic, mayhem and murder – liberally spiced with hot guys, kick-ass chicks and super-cool supes! The Shifting Price of Prey is her latest book.
Suzanne has been a cocktail waitress, dance group roadie, and retail manager before becoming a writer. She was born in London (her favourite city and home to Spellcrackers.com) and is now lucky enough to live with her husband on the sunny (sometimes) South Coast of England, about a mile away from the sea.
ABOUT THE BOOK: The Shifting Price of Prey (Spellcrackers #4) Sometimes a bit of magical help might cost more than you bargained for… London is hosting the Carnival Fantastique, and Genny’s job has never been busier or more fulfilling. Only not everyone is so happy. Genny believed she’d cracked the fae’s infertility curse… but the fae are still barren. It’s a devastating plight to which the mysterious Emperor may have the solution – if Genny can find him. She needs help.
She turns to the vampire Malik al-Khan, only to find he’s wrestling with his own demons and, when the police request Genny’s assistance with a magical kidnap, her own problems multiply too. Is it all unconnected, or can the Emperor help her solve more than the fae’s infertility? Soon Genny is hard on his trail, so it seems she’ll have a chance to ask… but will the answer cost more than she’s willing to pay?
SUZANNE MCLEOD ONLINE: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
GIVEAWAY!
Suzanne is offering ONE winner a choice of ONE of her books from the Spellcrackers.com series: The Sweet Scent of Blood (Book #1), The Cold Kiss of Death (Book #2), The Bitter Seed of Magic (Book #3) or The Shifting Price of Prey (Book #4)
For entry into the giveaway please answer the following question then fill out the form below: what is your favourite spooky place?
This giveaway is International (where Book Depository deliver) and ends 31st October 2012
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52 Comments
I suspect that your spellcheckers.com may have an off shoot in Edinburgh. It has its own haunted places too!
I have been to London, but yet to visit The Tower of London, which I really want to….
Thanks for stopping by!
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My favourite spooky place is actually my old school – Carshalton House was supposed to be haunted but numerous ghosts and it was always fun to tell spooky tales about what had happened on the main stairways back when it was a private house rather than a school!
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My favorite spooky place are cemetery……I love them…They’re so calm and creepy!!!!
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favorite spooky place: cemetery there is that atmosphere around those places brrrr
thank you a lot for the international giveaway
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First, great giveaway! This series sounds awesome!
Second, my favorite spookiest place would be Hollywood Cemetary in Richmond, Virginia. This is the most awesome cemetary I’ve ever been to. Perfect place for taking pictures. It’s so easy to get lost in and has some very OLD tombstones. I LOVE it there.
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My favorite spooky place is the cemetary.
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I’d love to go to all those places especially the cemetery. I’m not entirely sure I have a fave creepy place. Hm…
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In my area, we have the beautiful Hotel Del Coronado and Old Town San Diego where some of the creepiest buildings exist. We even have brass metals on the streets showing where the graves are still under the road.
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The spookiest place I’ve been (at night) would be Newport RI. We took the ghost tour on a very cool and foggy night. The guide even got cold spot reading on his meter while we were in an old cemetary.
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thanks for a fabulous post and giveaway! I’m sooo excited cuz I just got the first 3 books in this series and I can’t wait to start reading
I think that abandoned, dark buildings are spooky 
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Cemeteries are spooky. I think Rose Red would be very scary.
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Thank you for the giveaway! A spooky place is it forest near my house where so called devil worshippers where supposed to be. I can see the forest from my bedroom window and it gives me chills at night!
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My favorite spooky place is any graveyard, especially really old ones. I grew up right near an old cemetery and I loved to walk around and read the gravestones during the day, but I didn’t want to go near it at night.
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Hi there! I went on vacation to Salem a few years ago during October and went on a haunted ghost tour, some of the places were very spooky indeed!
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I work in an old building and it’s totally haunted – a lot of my coworkers and clients have seen things!
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I like haunted spooky theatres.
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Mine is a run down Abbey that is near us. Its Athassel Abbey and when its getting dark its so spooky.
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The Tower of London – I found it particularly spooky in the torture chamber areas… which is hardly surprising.
And Whitby Abbey is spooky when you are there in the dark in November – even though there were other people about it was very eerie
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I don’t really like spooky places but the church tower from my village with its old stairs and rusty bells is spooky enough, trust me!
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Old houses at night, with all the creaks and groans. Totally scary.
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A old dried up well near my house – it looks like something dark might live down there.
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There are quite a few spooky places where I live, and there have been lots of ghostly sightings however… I did live in a house that had a ghost/ghosts and odd things happened to me there, there was also the nursing home that I worked in for 6 years.
I am very used to dead bodies, seeing them and ‘dealing’ with them, it’s a bit of shock to actually see and hear someone that you know is dead. I am a firm believer in the spiritual side of things, there are somethings that can happen to you, that has no other explanation…
Thanks or the mini tour, I haven’t been into London for 15 years… I really must start taking advantage of living in the UK and visiting the sights!
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My favorite spooky place is the cemetery
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I went to a ghost tour at the Tower of London one Halloween. It was pretty creepy. It is very ghosty!
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I think my favorite spooky place is generally in a good book, but for a nonfictional location I will take some of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. The imagination can definitely work over time there. Thank you for the fun sharing, I wish I could visit some of these locations you have shared with us today
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My favourite all time spooky place is the Amityville Horror house. The atmosphere around it is so creepy, especially at night!
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My favourite spooky place is Tutbury Castle, so full of history & sightings of ghosts
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Under the floor in my house where I keep all the dead bodies of cold calling salesmen
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an old woodland near home, at the edge of night there are loads of bats, i love to sit in the stillness and watch them
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The Edinburgh Dungeons
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[...] Ember – Parajunkee’s ViewSuzanne McLeod, author of The Bitter Seed of Magic – Book Chick CityChloe Neill will be hosting the Cadogen House Halloween Extravangza, which includes the First Annual [...]
it would have to be a cemetry at the side of a large forest
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for me its my mom and dads house as things move and do go bump in the night and one bed room no matter how hot its always cold in there
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I think graveyards in general are quite spooky. And hospitals, but not in a good sense, I hate them.
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Cemetery
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Our local Historian does a spooky ghost walk round Ripon at this time of year, not only do you learn fasinating stories about the places you walk past everyday – he is a brillant spooky ghost story teller and the final stop on the walk is Ripon Cathedral grave yard …. who saw the black cat last …
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Cemeteries. There’s nothing quite like a walk through a body orchard!
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Beaulieu House!
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St Benet’s Abbey on the Broads at night
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I think my favourite spooky place will be the Colosseum in Rome. Its old, spooky, vast with the most blood spilled on it’s land.
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old churches
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Honestly, under my bed. I don’t know what kind of stuff has gathered under there, could be spiders (eek!) or worse….dust! Truly horrifying for me.
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I like the woods at night on a chilly fall evening when the wind makes the branches whistle.
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Im petrified of the woods. Its always so eerie and I think something will jump out at me!
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Walking in the dark in our neighbourhood is pretty spooky because it is pretty dark, especially on the bike path at the end of the street where there are absolutely no lights! Just hearing things move around in the bushes, the crunching of leaves and things skittering, makes me pretty jumpy!
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Hopsitals in general freak me out because of the morgues are down below, where dead are always waiting and watching!
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A certain house in the city I was born that is rumored to be haunted. I don’t know, I haven’t been there at night, but it sure is spooky.
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There is this place I go to, it’s a clearing in a forest preserve. Whenever I go there, things happen and there’s an odd feeling to the place. But somehow, for some reason I cannot explain, I am drawn to return to the place every now and then.
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My favorite spooky place is the cemetery.
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Chislehurst Caves are really spooky, would hate to be on my own down there
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Mortuaries!! & old store rooms!
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Hampton Court is my favourite spooky place.
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