EL&N Café has recently introduced theirlimited-edition Halloween menu, called ‘School of Spells’. The menu is available at all EL&N stores around the globe and features three spooky potions and two themed mousse cakes.
Enrol at the ‘School of Spells’ at EL&N Café
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Voted for the world’s most Instagrammable café, EL&N Café is known for its innovative menu and photogenic interior. They have stores around the globe from France to Dubai and lots of cafés around London.
Every year, EL&N Café launch a limited-edition creative Halloween menu that includes spooky drinks and indulgent cake creations. Last year’s themed took inspiration from the beloved series: Wednesday.
This year, the menu is taking you for a journey to the ‘School of Spells’ with bewitching brews and spellbinding desserts.
The magical menu is now available at ALL EL&N stores all over the globe till 31st October 2024.
Take a Sip | Have a Bite
Photo: Urban Adventurer
The menu contains three drinks: a freakshake, a hot chocolate and a mocktail, and two cakes to sink your fangs into.
Blood Orange Mocktail
A spooky blend of blood orange sorbet, pineapple juice, lemonade & rosemary, served in a blood bag.
Pumpkin Spiced Hot Chocolate
Sip on the creamiest hot chocolate that is made of nothing but white chocolate, pumpkin spiced sauce and milk, served with a melting chocolate dome.
Feeling lucky? Win a brunch for two if you order a Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate! Simply scan the QR code on the little card you receive with your hot chocolate and see if you are a winner.
If not, don’t worry! You have a second chance by filling the gaps in a spooky spell. The wittiest wins.
Red Velvet Freakshake
A killer combination of vanilla ice cream and red velvet sponge, served with tempting chocolate rim you’ll definitely want to lick. Garnished with whipped cream, white chocolate and spiders.
No tricks, just teats here! EL&N Café’s spooky mousse cakes are just as indulging as they look.
Witch’s Hat Cake
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Let yourself bewitched by the ‘Witch’s Hat Cake’. It’s an enchanting hazelnut mousse and moist chocolate sponge cake with Nutella feuilletine crispy wafer insert.
Pumpkin Mousse Cake
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Sink your fangs into the sweetest, most delicious pumpkin. It’s a chocolate orange mousse cake with almond crumble short crust and chocolate brownie insert.
Witch will you try first?
Ready for your next adventure? You still have time to try Spongebob’s real Krabby Patty at Wingmans Soho. Wingmans Soho x Krabby Patty Kollab
The spookiest month of the year is finally here and there are so many wickedly delicious treats all around London that it’s difficult to choose. This time we visited Dunkin’ Donuts that introduced their ‘Spooky Six’ donut collection and ‘Cursed Candy Apple Drinks’at the beginning of October.
🎃 🍩 [BLOG POST IN BIO] Spooky donuts and Cursed Candy Apple Drinks at @dunkinuk Their limited-edition treats are called the ‘Spooky Six’, a terrifyingly tasty donut collection to satisfy your Autumn cravings (they didn’t have Drac when I visited, so I got two Franks) #spookytreats#donuts#spookyseason#halloween2024#CapCut
Dunkin’ Donuts launched their Halloween special on the 1st October to bring the flavour this spooky season.
Their limited-edition treats are called the ‘Spooky Six’, a terrifyingly tasty donut collection to satisfy your Autumn cravings.
Spooky Six Five – Sadly they didn’t have Drac when we visited, so we grabbed two Franks instead
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Jack
The classic round one with the spooky ‘Jack-o-lantern’ face. It’s filled with hazelnut crème and finished with vanilla icing and chocolate decor.
Frank
Say hello to Frank, the monster of Victor Frankenstein, feared by many. However, fear not! This green guy is the sweetest monster you’ll have ever met. Filled with caramel, covered with vanilla icing and rainbow sprinkles, finished with chocolate decor.
Drac
The collection would not be completed without Dracula. This square donut comes with purple vanilla frosting, tempting chocolate filling and chocolate decoration.
(He is so popular that he was out of stock when we visited the shop)
Wolfie
Meet the friendly werewolf, Wolfie. His fur is chocolate strands, and his skin is maple icing, and he is as sweet inside as Bavarian crème.
Beatrix
Beatrix the witch is here to fill your day with the sweetest memories. Her blue face, salted caramel filling, orange hair made of sprinkles and her chocolate hat will definitely make you smile today.
Bones
This not-so-spooky donut skull has cookies & crème filling, vanilla icing and a smiling skeleton face made out of chocolate.
Cursed Candy Apple Drinks
Cursed Candy Apple Frappe
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Dunkin’ have turned your favourite Halloween treat into drinks! Which one are sipping first?
Cursed Candy Apple Iced Latte
No tricks, just treats! It’s your favourite caramel latte, but spookier. It comes with strawberry sauce and green apple popping balls.
Cursed Candy Apple Frappe
This creepy, but oh-so-sweet frappe is a tempting Halloween caramel latte, elevated to another level with layered strawberry sauce and green apple popping balls, topped with cream and fudge pieces, and finished with a drizzle of strawberry sauce.
This is the one we tried. It was absolutely delicious! It was creamy and crunchy, and it went surprisingly well with the green apple popping balls.
Practical Info
The ‘Spooky Six’ is available till 31st October 2024 at all Dunkin’ UK stores or through national delivery.
The Cursed Candy drinks are available till 31st October 2024 at all Dunkin’ UK stores. In-store only!
Make sure you grab them before they go!
Ready for your next adventure? Classic cartoon, SpongeBob SquarePants is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and to Wingmans Soho is currently running a special Krabby Patty collab.
Descend into the scorching flames of the Purgatory and sip on devilishly good, themed cocktails or embark on a frightful adventure to seal the Gates of Hell to prevent Demons wreaking a havoc on Earth.
Purgatory Bar & Escape Rooms is definitely the hottest place you can visit this Halloween.
The unique award-winning cocktail bar offers immersive interior, themed, Purgatory-inspired cocktails and two exciting escape rooms: ‘The Gates of Hell’ and ‘Murder in the Park’.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
We were invited for a VIP Halloween launch party where we had the opportunity to revitalise our souls with their new Halloween-themed cocktails and fully immerse ourselves into their Halloween experiences with live actors and incredible sets.
Halloween Party at Purgatory
‘Kiss the Frog’ Cocktail
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Upon our arrival we were greeted by an evil bunny and a welcome cocktail, called ‘Kiss a Frog’. It was a glittery green concoction of Midori, St Germain, Watermelon Syrup, Blue Curacao and Prosecco, garnished with a green gummy frog.
Stepping inside the venue, we found ourselves surrounded by gorgeous stonework that stretched from floor to ceiling. The swirling red and black floor made us feel we were walking on hot lava in the Purgatory.
The heavy stone arches at the bar area were lit by red and purple lights to provide the perfect backdrop for our devilish brews.
There were six cocktails to try, each inspired by fallen angels, the Purgatory and demons.
‘Spider Eggs’ Cocktail
Photo: Urban Adventurer
‘Spider Eggs’ was a sinful brew of Dragon fruit Vodka, St Germain, Raspberry Syrup, Lemon Juice & Lichee Juice. It was served with a stack of smoked-filled bubbles.
‘The Devour Sour’ Cocktail
Photo: Urban Adventurer
‘The Devour Sour’ was a tempting poison of Wild Turkey 81, Disaronno Lemon, Sugar, Red Vine & Vegan Foamer. It was served with a syringe to inject the red vine into your blend yourself.
‘Darkness’ Cocktail
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‘Darkness’ was designed to lead us into the dark side with the swirling Blue Curaco mixed with Whitley Neill Raspberry Gin, Chambord, Lemon Juice and Raspberry Syrup.
‘PB Old Fashioned’ was a blend of Wild Turkey 81, Demerara Syrup & Orange Bitters and was served in a crystal dome filled with cherrywood smoke.
‘Fallen Angel’ Cocktail
Photo: Urban Adventurer
‘Fallen Angel’ was an alluring mixture of Dragon fruit-infused Sapling Vodka, Aperol, Lemon, Orange & Mango, served with smoke-filled bubble.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
The special Halloween décor and the live actors were incredible. They made sure to make us jump out of our skin every minute.
At one point, I found myself being hunted by a red-eyed demon who was wearing chains around his neck. A few minutes later I spotted a hairy hand crawling on the lava floor by itself. Nobody dared to sit next to the black-winged fallen angel because we never knew when she would scare us to death.
At end of the party, we all received a goodie bag. Here’s what it contained.
If you’re on the hunt for the perfect venue for your Halloween party, look no further!
Purgatory is the hottest bar you can visit this October. Make sure you book your escape room experience as well and see whether your soul is pure enough to seal the Gates of Hell or you’re smart enough to solve a tangled murder mystery.
Have a spooky Halloween! 🎃
Ready for your next adventure? London’s hidden hunted cemetery for medieval and Victorian sex workers, Crossbones Graveyard has an extraordinary history and completely free to visit.
Grant Museum of Zoology has around 68,000 zoological specimens – including the world’s rarest skeleton: the quagga – dodo bones and fossils, creatures of the deep sea, a collection of preserved brains, and much more. Let’s explore!
Extinct Species, Preserved Animals and Rare Skeletons
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Grant Museum of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy was established in 1827. Since the following year, the museum has been continuously used by students at University College London (UCL). The Grant Museum of Zoology first opened to the public in 1996.
The old-fashioned museum is packed with skeletons, preserved animals in jars, skulls, mystic creatures from the deep sea and remains of species now extinct, such as bones of Dodo that went extinct in the 17thcentury; a skeleton of a quagga which was a type of zebra or an egg from an Elephant Bird. Elephant Birds were hunted to extinction in the 1700s.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
There is a different section dedicated to animals in jars. For example, monsters from the deep sea, such as Three-Toothed Pufferfish or Wolf Fish.
There is a jar full of moles – and it’s a mystery who and why made that jar -; and ‘jars of assorted specimens’, such as lizards and terrapins.
A Collection of Brains
Photo: Urban Adventurer
The brain collection is originally from the anatomical and pathological collection of Kings College London’s School of Medicine, and it consists of mammal brains (except from a single turtle), preserved in alcohol. The brains were collected from Africa, Asia, South America, Australia, and Europe. Among others, the collection consists of a brain of a dog, a monkey, a gibbon, a rabbit, and an infant tiger.
Fossils
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Grant Museum of Zoology is proud to have a number of well-reserved fossils of long extinct dinosaurs, such as Ichthyosaur, a marine reptile lived 250-90 million years ago or Pterosaur, a flying dinosaur we all know from Jurassic Park and Jurassic World blockbusters.
The Micrarium
Photo: Urban Adventurer
The Micrarium is a back-lit corner displaying over 2,000 of the tiniest microscopic specimens, all in just 2.52 square metres. The slides mostly show whole tiny animals but there are bits of bigger animals, too, for example mammoth hair.
A narrow cast iron staircase leads to the basement to Museums of Curiosities. You descend to a rabbit hole where nothing makes a lot of sense; to a different world which is bizarre and sometimes even scarry but wakes up your curiosity and makes you wanting to discover more.
The space is small and narrow but is loaded with so many oddities that, if you really want to see everything, you could spend hours down there.
Occult Cabinet, Fairies, Dead Pets, Tribal Art and More
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Museum of Curiosities is divided into multiply sections, such as ‘Cabinet of Monsters’ that includes preserved animals in jars, while ‘Fairies, Mermaids & Giants’ section includes mummified fairies, the legbone of an Irish Giant, preserved remains of a mermen and more. ‘Magick & the Occult’ section includes a fully functioning Occult Temple, a jar of moles (yes, you read it right), Woodoo artefacts from West Africa, and an occult cabinet, just to name a few.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
There are countless of other sections and artefacts to discover, including erotic-themed paintings, artworks and photos, mummified pets, a large collection of butterflies, creatures of the deep sea and human hair, including Elvis Presley’s hair, the hair of a Titanic survivor and an 18th-century human scalp.
Absinthe Parlour & Cocktail Bar
Photo: Urban Adventurer
I would highly recommend not to leave the museum without trying one of their absinthe cocktails at their absinthe parlour. Museum of Curiosities’ absinthe parlour has the largest collection of traditionally made absinthes.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Order an absinthe fountain, sip one of their absinthe cocktails or bring home a bottled absinthe or tasting set from the bottle shop.
Interested in occultism and occult cocktails?
Then you might want to take a look around the museum’s mini shop, where absinthe glasses & spoons, books, – such as a signed copy of ‘A Grimoire of Occult Cocktails & Drinking Rituals’ – artefacts, prints and more are available to purchase.
NOTE: Due to the adult nature of some of the exhibits (dead people, erotica) under 18s are only allowed before 5pm and must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Locals living within walking distance with proof of address may buy £6 tickets on the door
Tuesday discount
Discounted tickets are £5 on Tuesdays (walk-in only)
OR
£2.50 on Tuesdays (walk-in only) IF you order a drink at the bar
Opening Times
Tuesday – Friday 15:00-23:00
Saturday 12:00 – 23:00
Sunday 12:00-22:00
Ready for your next adventure? Do you think you could solve the hundred-year mystery around the identity of Jack the Ripper? Visit Jack the Ripper Museum.
Located next to London Bridge station, The Old Operating Theatre is Europe’s oldest surviving operating theatre. You might remember from movie scenes when medical students gather around an autopsy table in a horseshoe-shaped room to witness an autopsy or an operation on a human body to learn about the organs and anatomy.
Well, let’s step into that movie scene…
Watch mini video tour here (coming soon).
Access Through a Spooky Narrow Spiral Staircase
Photo: Urban Adventurer
The Old Operating Theatre is an extraordinary museum in many ways, but it’s really not for everyone. Here’s why.
The museum is housed in the attic of an 18-century church. This church once belonged to St Thomas’ Hospital.
In order to get access to the museum, you have to climb a 52-steps narrow spiral staircase. This experience is spooky enough by itself for some of us to decide to quit the whole thing. It also means, that currently there is no wheelchair access to the museum.
Original Herb Garret
Photo: Urban Adventurer
The original Herb Garret used to dry and store herbs in this attic in 1822 where the operating theatre was included.
This original timber framed Herb Garret is where your theatre journey starts. Here you’ll learn more about herbs and for what and how they were used back in the 19th century and how apothecaries used those herbs to make medicines.
Horrifying Facts
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Leaving the Herb Garret your journey gets more thrilling.
You’ll learn about (the lack of) hygiene, pain relief methods and equipment used in the 19th century.
During the period the operating theatre was in use – between 1822 and 1862 – surgical equipment was rarely washed before the operation. Bandages were often reused, and surgeons washed their hands and the medical equipment after the operation rather than before. This practice caused serious infection and later the death of many patients even if the operation itself was successful. This became known as ‘ward fever’.
In the 19th century, forms of pain relief were most often alcohol or opium. Sometimes, however, surgeons administered too much or too little pain relief that resulted the patient not waking up at all after the operation or waking up throughout the operation.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Despite of the high mortality rate, which was 30% in the 19th century, amputation was regularly performed for cases of disease, accident, or trauma. But even if the patient survived, they had to face the high risk of infection caused by that fact that surgical equipment at that time was not cleaned properly.
Before 1846, amputations were performed using a knife or saw. Many of that hair rising equipment is on display in the theatre. (I am so glad I am living in the 21st century…)
The Operating Theatre
Photo: Urban Adventurer
The next room to visit is the operating theatre itself. It’s a small horseshoe-shaped room with high glass ceiling to let as much light as possible for clearer view.
Despite of the theatre’s relatively small size, it allowed 140 people in total to witness an operation or autopsy.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Here the exhibition gets even more interactive. If you download The Old Operating Theatre mobile app and follow the instructions, you’ll get access to an Augmented Reality experience: you’ll step into the shoes of a 19th century medical student and get fist-hand information of the latest procedures. (Don’t worry, nothing disturbing will happen during the AR experience)
Preserved Organs and Women’s Health
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Continuing your journey within the museum, you’ll get the opportunity to see some human organs floating in formaldehyde and learn more about anatomy and dissection.
You’ll learn for instance, that by the middle of the 18th century dissection of the dead had become a central to surgical education. It means that fresh human corpses had become extremely valuable in surgery to rehearse operations and educate anatomy.
Due to the extreme high demand, the number of available human bodies became limited, and this was the point when body snatchers started stealing recently buried bodies and sold them to anatomy schools.
The next section is dedicated to women’s health, focusing on birth giving. Here you’ll see a number of absolutely blood-curdling forceps, scissors, crochet hooks, and other equipment you would never want to be used on you. (Again, glad to live in the 21st century…)
Events at The Operating Theatre
There are a number of events The Old Operating Theatre hosts throughout the year.
Upcoming events for example: Surgery & the Victorian Operating Theatre Live Event, Mummies and Medicine, A Victorian Mummy Unrolling Demonstration, Victorian Gothic Tales, and there are so much more down the line.
Unique accessories that go perfectly well with your Halloween costume, such as brain stud earrings, heart stud earrings, apothecary poison bottle earrings & necklace, bone saw pedant and brooch, scull brooch, blinking doll eye necklace, keychain & hair grips, and the list goes on.
Cool! What else?
How about a graduation brain cell keyring, Coronavirus plushie, DNA plushie or uterus plushie?
Hmmm, would you try some cubed earwax, organ marmalade or olde fashioned brain jam? If you’re craving for something crunchy, I would recommend the toasted bone chunks to try. All those yummy treats from Hoxton Monster Supplies.
Apart from all of these, the shop offers lots of books, original artworks inspired by the museum, board games and more.
Practical Info
Please note: There are no public toilets onsite at the Museum.
Jack the Ripper is one of the most famous serial killers in the world who is believed to have killed eleven women in Whitechapel, London between 1888 and 1891. Despite of the fact that he sent multiply hand-written letters to the police and newspapers, the grisly murderer’s identity is still a mystery after 100 years. Jack the Ripper Museum is displaying original artefacts and recreate crime scenes.
The mysterious murderer inspired countless of books, movies, and theories, trying to solve the Ripper’s case, however, it still remained unsolved even today.
Jack the Ripper Museum is located on Cable Street which location does actually have connection with the Ripper’s third victim, Elizabeth Stride: her body was taken to St George-in-the East Mortuary off Cable Street.
Original Artefacts and Recreations of the Crime Scenes
The original “From Hell” letter believed to have been hand-written by The Ripper
Photo: Urban Adventurer
The museum is a 6-floor Victorian building packed with never-seen-before original artefacts, such as the famous original “From Hell” letter, written by the Ripper and sent to George Lusk, the president of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee on the 16th October 1888. Along with the letter The Ripper sent a three-inch cardboard box that contained a half human kidney that is believed to once have belonged to Catherine Eddowes, the fourth victim of the Ripper.
Original artefacts: whistle and handcuffs PC Watkins was carrying on the night of discovering Catharine Eddowes’ body
Photo: Urban Adventurer
The museum provides detailed exhibits of the Ripper-related crime scenes, the investigation, the recreation of The Ripper’s final victim, Mary Kelly’s bedroom, the recreation of how Jack the Ripper’s sitting room would have looked, original newspaper cut-outs and more.
Disturbing Original Photos of the Victims’ Dead Bodies
The most disturbing room within Jack the Ripper Museum
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Jack the Ripper Museum is not for everyone. In the basement, there are original photographs of the victims’ dead bodies and an authentic autopsy table. This room is the most disturbing among of all, so if you don’t want to see the photos, simply skip the basement, and start your tour on the first floor.
(The restroom is also in the basement, but none of the photos are visible from the outside of the exhibition room and there is also a warning sign on the door.)
Everything to Know about the Ripper
Recreation of The Ripper’s final victim, Mary Kelly’s bedroom
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Although, some of the rooms and artefacts might be disturbing to some of us, Jack the Ripper Museum is designed to educate their visitors by giving information of the history of women in the 19th century and how life was in the East End of London during the Victorian times.
As Jack the Ripper’s victims were all appeared to be prostitutes, the museum gives a detailed description on how difficult life was for those living in poverty during the Victorian era.
Walking through the museum feels like visitors was really strolling on the streets of the Victorian London: sounds and smells help visitors time travelling to the 19th-century Whitechapel under the dim lights.
Highlights of Jack the Ripper Museum
Photo: Urban Adventurer
The original “From Hell” letter believed to have been hand-written by The Ripper
The original whistle, handcuffs, truncheon and notebook PC Watkins carried during the night when he discovered Catharine Eddowes’ body on Mitre Square at 1.44am on 30th September 1888
Original newspaper articles about the crimes
The recreation of The Ripper’s final victim, Mary Kelly’s bedroom
A lock of Mary Kelly’s hair
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Lock of hair of The Ripper’s final victim, Mary Kelly (find it on the wall in the Ripper’s sitting room)
Original photos and illustrations of the victims
Recreated scenes with life size wax figures
Jack the Ripper’s sitting room as it would have looked like based on the beliefs of his identity
Victorian style props
Photo: Urban Adventurer
If you enjoyed your visit, don’t forget to purchase some souvenir in the shop to support this extraordinary museum.
Pick up your stakes, grab your garlic garland, and fill in your holy water bottle because we’re going for a vampire hunt in Highgate Cemetery.
The Story Begins
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In the 1960s interest in vampires was high thanks to movies and TV shows dealing with horror stories about supernatural creatures sucking human blood.
As a result, when Evening Standard published a report about vandalism in Tottenham Park Cemetery, many Londoners quickly jumped into the conclusion that the culprit must had had a vampire.
According to the article, unknown persons entered the cemetery and dug out a newly buried body to drove a sharpened iron bar through the lid straight into the corps’ heart. The report also said that flowers were arranged around other graves in bizarre formation.
14 months after this incident a series of newspaper articles and two vampire hunters started a hysteria around vampires.
Hampstead and Highgate Express published a letter written by a local enthusiast of the paranormal, David Farrant, claiming that he had seen a mysterious tall dark man standing in Highgate Cemetery on Christmas Eve 1969. Farrant claimed he had spoken to two people who had had similar experiences.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Farrant decided to investigate this by spending a whole night in the cemetery. He later said, he had thought the mysterious figure might have just been an animal, but around midnight he glimpsed a tall dark figure with red eyes floating above the ground. Farrant reported he had felt like losing control of his body and mind and the air suddenly turned icy. To escape from the terrifying situation, he had repeated some Kabbalistic incantation. Shortly after the phantom disappeared.
In February 1970 Farrant asked the local newspaper readers in another article if they had similar encounters.
A number of people responded; however, they gave slightly different descriptions of the mysterious entity. One had seen a tall man wearing a hat, another person depicted a lady dressed in white, while someone else claimed they had witnessed a ghostly cyclist.
Meanwhile, another man with interest in the supernatural published his ideas in Ham and High newspaper. In the article entitled “Does a Wampyr Walk in Highgate?” Sean Manchester shared his theory about the paranormal events.
According to Manchester ‘a King of Vampire of the undead’ was buried in Highgate Cemetery. That vampire was originally a Romanian aristocrat who was a black magic practitioner and had been transported to England by his followers in a coffin in the 18th century. His followers had even purchased a house for him in the elegant West End area.
According to Manchester, Satanists recently carried out rituals to reawaken the evil, that’s why the vampire appeared again. Manchester claimed he had spoken to local people who had experienced vampire activity, such as anaemia, nightmares about the evil, and there were people with two small round shaped wounds on the neck.
The Vampire Hunt
Photo: Urban Adventurer
On the evening of Friday 13th March 1970, the two vampire hunters, Farrant and Manchester went to Highgate Cemetery to search for and kill the vampire. ITV aired a program on that day that included a live report from the cemetery.
Within two hours, a mass of people started gathering around the cemetery, and many of them climbed over the walls to help the vampire hunters find and kill the evil. There were so many people that the police were unable to stop them.
It is said that Manchester and his companions penetrated into a catacomb and found a sinister-looking black coffin that didn’t seem to fit to the others laying down there. Manchester performed an exorcism using garlic and holy water and sprinkled salt around the coffin. A few months later remains of a woman were found in the catacomb showing signs of black magic ritual.
Later Manchester found similar black coffins in the cemetery and did the same rituals.
Meanwhile Farrant attempted to communicate with the Highgate Vampire using two circles, candles, incense and a medium. His first attempt was interrupted by the police, but the second attempt was successful. An entity appeared and grabbed him by the throat. Farrand had to break the circle to escape.
After that Farrant came up with a new theory. He claimed the entity was malignant and was not a vampire at all, but an evil presence.
Highgate Cemetery Purged
Photo: Urban Adventurer
In 1974 Manchester and his team went back to the cemetery to find another black coffin. They removed the lid and found and evil creature with fierce eyes and drawn-back lips. Manchester drove a stake into the “vampire’s” heart and then he and his followers burnt the coffin with the body. After this Manchester claimed, “Highgate Cemetery is purged.”
Even Discovery Channelcreated a report around the Highgate vampire and story of the vampire hunters.
The Highgate Vampire Returned?
In 1991 Declan Walsh claimed he had witnessed a tall very thin man dressed in Victorian style as walking through a locked gate.
Another witness took a glimpse of a figure floating from the east site to the west site of the cemetery in 2005.
Many popular horror stories were inspired by the Highgate vampire and even filmed within the cemetery, such as “Tales from the Crypt”, “Taste the Blood of Dracula” and “Dracula A.D. 1972” starring Christopher Lee. The latter was directly inspired by David Farrant’s vampire hunting activity.
The Highgate vampire appears as a villain in television series, such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (season 9) and in comics, such as the “Dark Horse”.
Do you believe in vampires?
Ready for your next adventure? Why not book a spine-chilling experience in one of the oldest prisons in England, The Clink Prison Museumthis October?
Calling all witches, vampires, ghosts, werewolves, zombies and fallen angels! Last year’s Halloween was not as it should be, so this year we all want it really fang-tactic, right? Here are some of the best shops in London to reach your ghouls this Halloween.
Zombie Fresh Mints, Werewolf Biscuit, Tinned Fear and Fairy Dust made from real fairies. Just name it and they serve it.
You can even buy your own Death Certificate here. Just specify the cause of death, such as bite to the neck, ancient curse or vexation, brains eaten by zombie….
Please note: you cannot have a Death Certificate if you’re merely undead!
FUN TIP: Their website has been automatically translated for humans. If you are a monster, please, click on the small menu on the top of the page, choose your monster type and watch the website being translated to your monster language.
The Catty, Batty, Deadly, Ghostly and Scary!
Mix Max
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Mix Max is specialised on fancy dress and accessories. Fake blood, makeup, scary masks, wigs, and decorations. They have everything for Halloween chills and thrills.
Hubble, bubble toil and trouble! Biscuiteers is definitely a choice when it comes to hand-iced biscuits for even the spookiest day of the year.
Give them a fright with spooky haunted house, bats, eyeballs, and black cat biscuits. Available online or visit their shop if you dare on Kensington Park Road or Northcote Road, alternatively visit Selfridges Food Hall and put your paw on their spooky collections.
Cutie and Spooky
Art Box
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Cuteness overloaded. If you love Halloween but want to keep it cute, Art Boxkawaii characters are for you.
Say hello to the Halloween-style Hello Kitty and the vampire Kuromi on your arrival to the shop. Don’t forget to take a pic of them and share it on Instagram for your chance to win a £30 voucher to spend in store. Don’t forget to follow them, tag them and use hashtag #spookyartboxuk. Good luck!
Too Cute to Spook!
Disney Store
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Disney Store hosts a not-so -spooky Halloween with friendly monsters. From customisable soft toys to costumes to Halloween decoration, you’ll find everything to organise a not-so-scary Halloween party for the little ones.
Visit their physical shop on Oxford Street to get the true Disney Halloween spirit.
The Boo-tiful and Woo-nderful!
Hamley’s
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Join the Halloween spook-fest at Hamley’s during this October. Dress up in your favourite costume and meet London’s friendliest witches, wizards, and vampires.
Ready for your next adventure? Discover the real Pet Cemetery in Hyde Park this October.
We all know Stephen King’s famous novel, ‘Pet Sematary’. Many of us spent nights reading the book full of dreadful mysteries about a cemetery dedicated to pets; and the soil bearing spiritual power to let the dead come back to life again.
Well, the pet cemetery does exist and it’s in Hyde Park.
Older Than You Think
The Pet Cemetery is at Victoria Lodge rare garden.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Hyde Park secret Pet Cemetery was not opened by plan.
Let’s go back in time in 1881, when this little graveyard’s story started with Cherry, a Maltese terrier.
Cherry loved spending time in Hyde Park with their owners Mr and Mrs J. Lewis Barned. As they visited Hyde Park quite often, the husband and wife made a friendship with the park’s gatekeeper Mr Winbridge.
When Cherry passed away at an old age, their owner approached Mr Winbridge and asked if there was any chance to bury their beloved dog within the park, in Victoria Lodge’s back garden, as that had Cherry’s favourite place been.
They got the permission and Cherry’s tombstone is still there with its inscription, ‘Poor Cherry. Died April 28. 1881’
The Prince’s Dog
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The next pet to be buried here was Duke of Cambridge’s beloved dog, a Yorkshire terrier, named Prince. Prince had met his end under the wheel of a carriage in an unfortunate accident.
Soon, Hyde Park became wealthy Londoners’ beloved companions’ final resting place.
More Than a Thousand Graves
Photo: Urban Adventurer
The Pet Cemetery closed in 1903 as it was getting too cramped.
By the time the cemetery closed, 300 little souls had been laid to rest in the tiny back garden. The Victorian cemetery was the first public pet cemetery in Britain, and over 1,000 pets buried there.
Dogs are the Most Common Animals
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Mostly dogs are buried in the Pet Cemetery – many of them had a fatal encounter with carriages – but there are plenty of cats and birds and even a monkey.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
The headstones bear simple inscriptions addressed to faithful companions:
“In loving memory of my darling little Cirrie, Died March 14 1893”
“To the beloved memory of Orphie, Most faithful devoted friend who left us sorrowing, Died Aug 22 1897”
“In memory of my dearest little Susan”
There is even a victim of a murder, Balu.
“Balu, Son of Fritz, Poisoned by a cruel Swiss, 1899”
Photo: Urban Adventurer
How to Visit
The cemetery is not open to the public but at rare occasions The Royal Parks organise walking tours that include special viewing to the Pet Cemetery.
If you missed the special viewing, you can still contact with Hyde Park and arrange a one-hour private viewing.
Peek through the railings by Victoria Gate to catch a glimpse of the real Pet Cemetery.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Alternatively, peek through the park’s railings by Victoria Gate and you can catch a glimpse of the tiny tombstones. Map
Ready for your next adventure? Visit London’s weirdest museum: Museum of Curiosities.
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