The Mass Hauntings of Tyburn
An estimated 50,000 people were executed at Tyburn over 600 years, creating one of the most psychically charged locations in London where mass hauntings still occur.
The Mass Hauntings of Tyburn
Today, Marble Arch stands at the corner of Hyde Park, a busy traffic intersection surrounded by shoppers and tourists. Few realize they’re standing on the site of Tyburn, London’s primary execution ground for over 600 years. From 1196 until 1783, an estimated 50,000 people were hanged here—criminals, traitors, martyrs, and innocents. The ground is saturated with death, and the ghosts of the executed still manifest in disturbing numbers.
Tyburn executions were public spectacles. The condemned were transported from Newgate Prison on an open cart, stopping at pubs along the way where they could drink. At Tyburn, they were hanged from the triangular “Triple Tree” gallows that could execute 24 people simultaneously. The crowd would cheer or jeer depending on the prisoner’s crime and demeanor. Bodies were left hanging for hours, sometimes days. Famous victims included numerous Catholic martyrs, the controversial highwayman Jack Sheppard, and countless forgotten souls. The executions only ended in 1783 when they were moved to Newgate Prison to reduce the carnival atmosphere.
The paranormal activity near Marble Arch is intense and varied. Pedestrians report sudden overwhelming feelings of dread and despair when passing the site, sometimes so severe they flee. Late-night workers and residents hear screaming, cheering crowds, and the sound of a large wooden structure creaking (the gallows). Multiple witnesses have reported seeing the gallows itself manifest briefly—a massive triangular wooden frame with bodies hanging from it—before vanishing. Individual ghosts appear regularly: men and women in various historical dress, some with ligature marks on their necks, walking aimlessly or appearing distressed. The Tyburn Convent, established nearby to pray for the executed, reports regular supernatural phenomena. Staff at the surrounding hotels and businesses have countless stories of hauntings. Tyburn’s horror was the sheer scale—50,000 deaths in one place has left a psychic wound in London that may never heal.