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London's Ghosts
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london ghostsAn article by the Eminent London Ghosthunter, Dr Hendrik Mangor A.S.D. C.D.M. & bar
London is said to be the most haunted city in the world!
A place of uncouth gargoyles, leering pettifoggers, absurd manifestations and queer goings-on. And that's before the pubs close. And where, you might well ask, can one find a ghost in London? Well, pretty much anywhere really.
Why?
Why you should want to is another matter entirely: in general, when they do turn up, they lurk and have bad manners, which rather limits their entertainment value. However, your average ghost hunter is pleased by the simplest of things, so if you're contented with a few phantom footsteps and scuffling sounds there's plenty around to keep you happy.
Ask any local housing authority and they'll turn up a number of cases of noisy, but otherwise invisible poltergeists, almost all from families who want to be at the top of the re-housing list; though to be fair there was at least one case where the family liked their flat and went out of their way to get the ghost exorcised.
St Botophs Church  
 
Disappointing!
When reading books on the subject it's a constant disappointment to find that the last recorded sighting was before you were even born (and often before most of your ancestors were born). My favourite was the number 7 bus that turns up in Kensington at 1.15am, causing oncoming drivers to swerve, and disappearing by the time they've turned their heads around to see what it was. This, sadly, has not been seen for over fifty years, no doubt due to the invention of the breathalyser.
Sell-by Date!
There's an added problem that most ghosts seem to have some sort of 'sell-by' date on them. Such as the vicar, once apparently as clear and crisp as day in his regular manifestations, who now, when he can gather the momentum to show up at all, is so indistinct that it's said you can barely make out he's a clergyman.
Exorcism!
Exorcism generally works wonders, and many of the most interesting ghosts haven't been seen since someone took it into their head to not run away and explain to the afflicted phantom that they were actually dead and ought to bugger off out of it.
Just what is a ghost?
The question of what a ghost actually is, is raised by the appearance of a nice lady who had lived in a pub and moved off to a completely different area when she retired: she was later seen pottering around in the pub's cellar, but on investigation she proved to be alive and well at her new address.
The same happened when Elizabeth I was dying: she was seen several times wandering round Hampton Court, when her actual body was in a coma upstairs.
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