Macabre London

When Christianity arrived for the general masses in the late 1500's and Early 1600's, the puritan purge made life hell for a lot of people. As the civil war raged on, people took advantage and one of those people was Matthew Hopkins. He setn hundreds of people, mainly women to their deaths but before him, how did witchcraft become such a hotbed of political tension and how did religion stick it's...

Have you ever wondered about the origins of May Day and why we get a day off on the bank holiday? Well, you can thank your randy ancestors who were all about getting drunk and hooking up on the first of May. As the cold of winter thawed, people emerged from their homes and were looking for other humans to socialise with. Over time, this turned into a celebration which spanned most of Europe. Belta...

How Churches Used the Devil to Control London - Doom Paintings Throughout History  Did London's churches use the devil to terrify it's congregation? Well...yes! Today's episode of Macabre London: Belief and the Occult in the Capital City, we go on a field trip to a completely preserved church which somehow still has ALL of it's stained glass from the early 1500's complete with dozens of brigh...

Did London's churches really give their attendees the plague...well yes! Today's episode of Macabre London: Belief and the Occult in the Capital City, we go on a field trip to London's oldest churches. We learn about how many of them were created by significan't people, had notable people in their congregations and how they've watched over hundreds of years of history and significant events. We le...

Ever wondered what those weird medieval animal drawings are all about? Well, it's a little something known as a Bestiary. Today's episode of Macabre London: Belief and the Occult in the Capital City, explores the sweird world of medieval creatures and Dr Eleanor Janega tells us how Faeries ruled homes and how Joan of Arc was put on trial for dancing around a horny tree, yes really!! This episode h...

How do you spell Werewolf using runes? Well today we find out...kinda! Today's episode of Macabre London: Belief and the Occult in the Capital City, explores the settling of the Anglo-saxons in London and how they used magic in their everyday lives. We learn about how strange belief's spread in pockets of society who were far apart ( let that be a modern day lesson to us all), and how the seeds of...

When the Roman's abandoned Londinium ( London ) they left something important behind... A secret temple which had been dedicated to the god Mithras. But nearby, something even stranger appeared...a stash of 39 human skulls, all men, all with blunt force trauma, but who were they and how did they get here? Today on Macabre London, we uncover the mystery behind the London Mithraeum. Thanks to Dr Fra...

Boudicca Burned London to the ground and did it so well that she left behind an archaeological layer of ash which still exists. But what happened next? London came back bigger and bettter but it couldn't be kept safe forever. New invaders were coming and the Romans had been called home so who was left to fight...well, no one! Finding the city abandoned, the Anglo Saxon's were dismayed and creeped...

Did you know London was burned to the ground before it was even finished being built? Join me today for tales of Boudicca and her army gathered from the Iceni tribe. Boudicca was bullied and beaten by the invading Romans but she didn't back down. She got mad, got even and then took the advice of her gods to wreak fiery havoc on not one, not two, but three new Roman cities which she torched and bur...

Were the Celts a bloodthirsty, insatiable crowd of savages?... On the first episode of "Belief & The Occult in the Capital City", we take a look into just how London came to be. Was it a land of crazed celts who were hell bent on human sacrifice? Well if you listened to the Romans, they'd have you believe so! However, the truth was far more tame...was there bloodshed? Yes, but was it as bad as...

If 2025 was the year of criminals for Macabre London then 2026 is the year of Magic! I'm so excited to be sharing my new series with you in this introduction episode. I'll be letting you in on my plans for this series, how I'll be exploring things and just what I'll be covering. I'll be taking things all the way back to the very beginnings of belief in London before it was even called London. Star...

Merry Christmas! Thanks for all your kind messages, comments and words of support, it really makes a difference. More news about what's to come in 2026 in January. But for now, enjoy - Dark Christmas by Janette Winterson - read by Nikki Druce. There are ads in this ep which may disrupt you if you're trying to sleep. If you want this Ad free, you can listen on Patreon. Sweet dreams! Xx Hosted on Ac...

Not what I wanted to be putting out by RIP to my dear cat Boots who died yesterday - 13/12/25. She was an excellent cat, friend and daughter to me, I loved her so much and she was my family. I know many of you will know how much this hurts so thank you for understanding, this was not what I wanted to be doing at all, everything was very sudden and not expected but she was an old lady at 14 and she...

In December 1888, when London’s East End was still haunted by the fear of Jack the Ripper, another woman was found strangled in the street: Rose Mylett. And just like that, the terror returned. This episode takes you deep into the investigation that never reached a conclusion — a tragic death brushed aside by authorities desperate for normality at Christmas. Who killed Rose? And why did the case f...

Forensic science is now one of the most powerful tools in crime investigation — but its journey began in the shadows of London’s darkest cases. In this episode of Macabre London , we trace the evolution of forensics through the crimes that pushed science to its limits. We begin with the first-ever conviction using a fingerprint , a moment that changed policing forever. From there, we step into the...

In this next chapter of our  Crime & Punishment in the Capital City  series, we explore a story often overlooked in the darker corners of London’s past: the long and brutal fight for women to earn their place in the Metropolitan Police. From early moral guardians to undercover operatives, and eventually, fully empowered officers, the women who patrolled London’s streets faced resista...

Hidden down a quiet Belgravia mews, The Grenadier looks like any charming old London pub — but inside, something sinister still stirs. Said to be haunted by the ghost of a young soldier beaten to death over a game of cards, this centuries-old tavern holds stories soaked in sorrow, superstition, and spirits of all kinds. Join me as we slip through the misty backstreets of 19th-century London to unc...

Beneath the Strand lies a street lost to time — Lower Robert Street. Once a bustling Georgian neighbourhood, it now hides in darkness beneath London’s surface, sealed off and forgotten. But inside its crumbling tunnels and bricked-up entrances, something remains… In this episode, we uncover the haunted history of Lower Robert Street — from ghostly apparitions and phantom carriages to the eerie ech...

Nestled in the heart of Spitalfields, The Ten Bells is one of London’s most infamous pubs — and not just for its beer. Said to be haunted by the restless spirits of the past, this centuries-old public house has seen everything from Ripper victims to spectral barmaids who never clocked out. But how much of the haunting is real, and how much is legend born from the dark streets of Whitechapel? In th...

In this episode of  Macabre London , we step into the foggy streets of Whitechapel in 1888 to uncover the brutal murder of Mary Jane Kelly – the last known victim of Jack the Ripper. We’ll follow the police investigation as it reached its breaking point, examine the key suspects who haunted the inquiry, and reveal how a shocking telegram from Queen Victoria forced the government to finally ta...

FROM THE VAULT: this week we have a corker of an episode from years gone by, we're diving back into the vault of Macabre Mini Mysteries to find you a yesteryear gem for your delectation. We'll be back as usual ASAP with a brand new episode but until then, enjoy this vintage listen... A top a windswept rocky outcrop stands a lonely lighthouse. Its job for many years has been to forewarn sailors tha...

In September 1888, Jack the Ripper escalated his crimes. Annie Chapman was found murdered in Hanbury Street, followed just weeks later by the  Double Event  — the back-to-back killings of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes in a single night. In this episode of  Macabre London , we follow the police investigations into these gruesome murders, uncovering the challenges they faced,...

On 31st August 1888, Mary Ann Nichols was found brutally murdered in Whitechapel — and with her death, the shadow of Jack the Ripper began to fall across London. In this episode of Macabre London, we take you inside the police investigation into the first confirmed Ripper murder. How did officers approach the scene? What evidence did they have to work with in Victorian London? And could they have...

Before Jack: Police Investigate Whitechapel’s First Two Murders Join Macabre London for a chilling prelude to the infamous Jack the Ripper saga. In this episode, we uncover the  first two Whitechapel murders —Emma Elizabeth Smith and Martha Tabram—long before the canonical five claimed global attention. Discover how  H Division detectives  responded to these brutal cases, the invest...

Edward Dando wasn’t your average thief—he was a man possessed by an unrelenting hunger for oysters… and a complete disregard for paying the bill. In this episode of  Macabre Mini Mysteries  from  Macabre London , we explore the life and crimes of Edward Dando: the Regency glutton who scandalised polite society by stealing and devouring shocking amounts of shellfish. Discover why oys...