Exploring London's haunts with ghostly guides
“It's exciting to see the city from a different perspective, (to see) parts of the city they've probably never heard of,” said Zarah Jane Hadley, producer and director of this year's Lost Soul Stroll.
The Lost Soul Stroll, a London tradition since 2005, features a ghoulish cast of characters from the city's past like Ambrose Small, who is said to haunt the Grand Theatre. Conceived by local historian and documentarian, the late Chris Doty, and playwright Jason Rip, The Stroll is a chance for Londoners to learn about their city's history while getting seriously spooked in the process.
Starting at St. Paul's Cathedral, audience members are led by a ghostly guide. Gruesome murders and freak accidents are all a part of the characters' riveting stories. One particularly chilling story involves Henry Sovereen, who murdered his five children and wife simply because they were too expensive to have around. He killed them with a shingle splitter.
The Lost Soul Stroll has also been host to some eccentrics who are very much alive. In its first year, attendees were treated to quite the show when a drunk university flasher exposed himself. Another year, a non-ticket holder made a death threat on one of the characters — clearly not realizing it fell on already-“dead” ears.
This year's performance, presented by the London Fringe Festival, is taking a new direction. After becoming a bit too family-friendly, Hadley has taken the tour in a “scarier” direction — but details will be spared to keep the “scares” a surprise.
“People have been very surprised by it,” she said of those people who are regular attendees.
“It's more thrilling, more exciting, more spine-tingling.”
