Covent Garden Station William Terriss Ghost

Covent Garden Station is haunted by one of London’s most famous theatrical ghosts: William Terriss, a popular Victorian actor who was brutally murdered on December 16, 1897. Terriss was stabbed to death outside the Adelphi Theatre by a deranged fellow actor, Richard Prince, who had become obsessed with perceived slights. The actor died in his lover’s arms, and his ghost has been seen not only at the Adelphi but also at nearby Covent Garden Underground Station, which was built years after his death on what may have been his regular walking route.

Station staff have reported numerous encounters with a well-dressed man in Victorian clothing, complete with white gloves and a top hat, who appears on platforms and in passages before vanishing. The apparition matches contemporary descriptions and photographs of William Terriss. Workers have heard phantom footsteps echoing through empty corridors, inexplicable knocking sounds with no source, and the rustling of period clothing when no one is present. Some have reported feeling an invisible presence brush past them in narrow passages.

The hauntings are most commonly reported during the early morning hours before the station opens or late at night after it closes. Staff members have described seeing the ghost examining the station as if confused by the modern surroundings, suggesting Terriss’s spirit may not understand that time has passed. One particularly detailed account describes a figure in Victorian dress descending the spiral staircase, seeming to walk through modern safety barriers as if they didn’t exist. The association with a murdered celebrity has made Covent Garden Station a point of interest for both theatre historians and paranormal investigators.