The Anchor, Bankside

The Anchor pub on Bankside has stood on the south bank of the Thames since at least 1615, making it a contemporary of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre which once stood nearby. The pub’s long history in the theatrical district has resulted in hauntings that seem almost performative in nature, with witnesses reporting the ghost of a man in Elizabethan dress who appears in the upstairs rooms, seeming to rehearse lines from forgotten plays before fading from view. Some believe this spirit may be connected to the theatrical world that once thrived in the area, perhaps an actor who drank at The Anchor between performances and never truly left. The sound of period music and laughter from what sounds like a raucous Elizabethan celebration has been heard coming from empty rooms, complete with the clinking of pewter tankards and archaic voices speaking in Shakespearean English.

The pub’s location on the Thames, in an area that saw waves of plague outbreaks, fires, and floods over the centuries, has left layers of supernatural activity. Staff have reported seeing the apparition of a woman in a plague doctor’s mask appearing briefly in doorways before vanishing, and the smell of smoke and burning sometimes fills rooms despite no fire being present, possibly a residual haunting from the Great Fire of London in 1666 which devastated Southwark. The cellars, which are ancient and connect to other buildings along the riverside, are particularly active with reports of dark shadow figures moving through the underground spaces, sudden drops in temperature, and the sound of water lapping and boats bumping against docks even though the modern Thames embankment has long since changed the riverside configuration.

During renovations and archaeological investigations, workers have reported finding the building to be unsettlingly active, with tools disappearing and reappearing, the sensation of being pushed or touched by invisible hands, and overwhelming feelings of sadness and loss in certain areas. The Anchor’s position as a working-class establishment that served riverside workers, sailors, and theater people for over 400 years means countless lives intersected with the building, and some of those souls appear unable or unwilling to move on. Patrons have photographed strange orbs and mists, recorded unexplained voices on electronic devices, and witnessed glasses and objects moving on their own, particularly in the older sections of the building that survived the various fires and redevelopments that transformed the South Bank over the centuries.