London is an ancient city with origins that go back at least 2000 years to the Roman Empire. And London has been the capital first of England, then of the United Kingdom, for centuries, which means many of the most important events in British history have happened here.

This history is, in part, what brings so many tourists to London every year. London’s historical monuments, like the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey, are some of the main attractions in the city, and London’s history is on display wherever you turn.

But behind the famous stories of the city are hundreds of lesser-known but still intriguing tales and legends. Some are true. Some are false. Most occupy that gray area in between. But let’s face it: that only makes these stories more fascinating.

Knowing a few of the legends of London will help you peer beneath the surface of the city and encounter parts of London most tourists never reach. And many of the locations made famous in the legends can still be visited today. Leave your bags behind at a Bounce luggage storage in London, and check out some of these odd tales to learn more about the British capital.

The Vampire of Highgate Cemetery

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Highgate Cemetery is one of the so-called Magnificent Seven of London cemeteries. The final resting place of around 170,000 people, this beautiful cemetery is also a nature reserve and is listed on the Register of Historic Places because of its historical interest. Located in the Borough of Camden, it’s a short walk from Highgate Underground Station and a great place to get some tranquility in this busy city.

But it might be a good idea to bring some garlic with you. First opened in 1839, the weathered monuments and haunting memorials make this a magnificently creepy place to visit. The kind of place you might expect to encounter the undead, in fact.

Strangely enough, this is not an ancient legend but instead a story that goes back to 1969 and reported sightings of a spooky figure dressed in gray spotted in the cemetery. Two rival and self-proclaimed experts in the supernatural whipped up a media panic as they both announced their intention to banish this vampire, culminating in a mob descending on the cemetery, armed with stakes and garlic.

No vampire was ever found, of course. But doesn’t that mean the undead figure could still be out there?

Spring-heeled Jack

The Victorian era was a time of rapid industrialization, international exploration, and incredible advances in science that shaped the world we live in today. However, it was also a time of some frankly demented superstitions and panics.

London in the Victorian era was a very spooky place, rife with pollution, crime, and thick fog. Maybe that explains the background of ghost sightings and other supernatural occurrences that may have informed the legend of Spring-heeled Jack.

In 1837, Mary Stevens was walking past Clapham Common when a strange figure assaulted her. The next day, another strange figure jumped in front of a carriage, then bounded over a nine-foot-high wall to escape, cackling maniacally the whole time.

Several more incidents took place in subsequent years, with Spring-heeled Jack showing a preference for assaulting young women and breathing blue flame. The story of this mysterious figure grew in the telling, and soon sightings were being reported up and down the country. Although a man was arrested for boasting that he was the mysterious figure, he was later acquitted by a court, and no one else was ever convicted of the assaults. However, the legend lives on, with the most recent sighting being reported in 2012.

Jimi Hendrix’s Parakeets

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Parakeets are colorful birds that have shown an impressive ability to become comfortable living around humans in urban centers around the world. However, rainy London isn’t the first place you would expect to encounter these noisy and colorful animals. Nevertheless, Southwest London is home to a flock of parakeets that numbers around 60,000 birds at the last count.

How did these birds, native to Africa and India, and up here? Well, one popular local story is that legendary American musician Jimi Hendrix is to blame. In 1968, Hendrix arrived in London with, among other things, his two pet rose-ringed parakeets, Quant and Halston. At some point, his birds escaped and, being male and female, became the parents of the entire flock.

Is it true? Probably not. Parakeets have been kept as pets by Londoners for generations, and the first sightings go back to the late 19th century. To create a flock the size of London’s, it would take more than a single pair of birds. However, that doesn’t mean at least some of today’s parakeets aren’t descendants of Jimi Hendrix’s pets.

Green Park’s (nonexistent) Flower Beds

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Famously, London has so many parks that it fits the UN definition of a forest. London is home to eight Royal parks as well as thousands of lesser but still beautiful green spaces. One of the Royal parks, Green Park, is famous for having no flowerbeds, unlike the other Royal Parks in the city.

Why? Well, the legend goes that philandering King Charles II used to pick flowers in the park for his many mistresses. When his wife heard of that, she demanded that all the flowerbeds be removed from Green Park, a tradition that has continued to this day. The plan doesn’t seem to have worked too well, given that Charles II had 12 illegitimate children by other women. Still, it was probably worth a try.

Legends of London

London is a city steeped in legends, from the whimsical and charming to the downright creepy. But these tall tales can give you a deeper sense of the culture and history of the city, and also give you some off-the-beaten-path places to explore. Leave the bags behind and head out on the trail of these stories, whether true or not. What is certain is that you’ll have a great time experiencing London for yourself.

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