Smithfield’s Secret Haunted Pubs, Body Snatchers & Last Call

Historic London Pubcast

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Ghosts, grave robbers, and one last pint before the gallows? Welcome to the Historic London Pubcast - your spirited guide through haunted London pubs and the twisted tales hidden behind creaky pub doors.

In this episode, we take you on a haunted pub crawl through London’s Smithfield - once a grisly hub for resurrection men, and now a hotbed of ghost sightings, grisly legends, and ale-soaked anecdotes.

Featured pubs:

The Rising Sun Pub London. Haunted lodgings & body snatcher lore.
The Hand and Shears Pub London. Courtroom drama & the real story of the phrase “on the wagon” origin.
The Old Red Cow Pub London. Tankard thefts, bar brawls & a ghostly landlord who won’t quit.

Perfect for fans of London ghost stories, true crime London tales, and pub crawl London enthusiasts. This episode is part spooky stroll, part London pub podcast, part London history podcast, and all pint-worthy fun loaded with London travel tips.

Whether you're planning a London walking tour, seeking London hidden gems, want ideas for a London pub crawl, or just looking for unique London attractions to impress your mates, this episode has the chills, the thrills, and the beer spills.

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Google map with pubs covered in previous episodes pinned, courtesy of Andy Meddick:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1xXDGJSfJIUy2gw_6uCASi-C45FpOg_M&usp=sharing

Or TinyURL: https://tinyurl.com/4xhc8w2s

The following resources are referenced or quoted frequently in this episodes:

Ted Bruning -- London By Pub (ISBN 978-0658005022)
Wikipedia
https://londonspubswherehistoryreallyhappened.wordpress.com/ by Ann Laffeaty
https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/
Richards & Curl, City of London Pubs - A Practical and Historic Guide ISBN:0-87749-358-8

Additionally, the following resource(s) were used / quoted in this episode

Rising Sun

:https://pubwiki.co.uk/LondonPubs/StBart/ClothFair38.shtml

https://owlcation.com/humanities/resurrectionists-body-snatching-in-19th-century-britain

https://www.spookyisles.com/rising-sun-london-ec1/

https://alondoninheritance.com/londonpubs/pubs-of-the-city-of-london-july-2020-part-3

Cloth Fair Street

https://alondoninheritance.com/london-streets/cloth-fair/

https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/41-Cloth-Fair-The-oldest-house-in-the-City-of-London/

https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/properties/cloth-fair-43/

Hand and Shears and The Old Red Cow

https://www.pubology.co.uk/pubs/4099.html

https://alondoninheritance.com/londonpubs/ha

Website: https://historiclondonpubcast.com/

E-mail: [email protected]

Chapters

1. Introduction. From Podcast Producer Andy Meddick. (00:00:00)

2. Welcome from Host & Guide Eric Blair. Eric sets the tone. Ghosts, grave robbers, and haunted hops await in Smithfield. (00:01:37)

3. Stop 1: The Rising Sun. History dating back to 1616, body snatchers lurking near Saint Bart’s, and a ghost that doesn’t respect personal space. (00:02:18)

4. Resurrection Men & The Fortune of War. A pub that served as a corpse depot, surgeons browsing cadavers like it’s a grim farmer’s market. (00:04:47)

5. The London Burkers & The Bell. Murder-for-profit, a suspiciously fresh body, and the trial that changed dissection law forever. (00:06:45)

6. Post-war Orchestras & The Rising Sun’s Comeback. When musical services moved in upstairs, ghosts might’ve moved back in too. (00:09:57)

7. The Hand and Shears. Smithfield’s longest-running pub, medieval fair trials, and a courtroom with dusty feet. (00:18:14)

8. “On the Wagon” Origin Story. One last pint before prison — and the boozy birth of a now-sober saying. (00:22:52)

9. The Old Red Cow. Tankard thefts, bar brawls, celebrity regulars, and a ghostly landlord still watching the taps. (00:24:47)

10. Ghost or Not? You Decide. Hot toddy master Dick O’Shea’s posthumous pub presence and one very suspicious staircase. (00:29:51)

11. Final Thoughts & Toasts. Eric wraps up the haunt, connects the eerie dots, and leaves you with one last pint of London’s creepy, quirky past. (00:30:30)

12. Wrap up. From Podcast Producer Andy Meddick & look ahead at Episode 46. (00:31:29)

48 episodes

#History #Eric Blair #London #Old London Pub #Cool Pubs In London #London Pub Facts #Society #Travel #Documentaries #Pub