Spring-heeled Jack sits in the centre of a weird Venn diagram. It features urban legends, ‘penny dreadful’ serial fiction, theatre plays, and modern folklore. The last sightings of him were in the early years of the 20th century. Yet Jack still makes appearances in contemporary popular culture, including: True, in these later adaptations, he’s part […]
london
Who is the Phantom Hitchhiker that haunts the Blackwall Tunnel?
Many stretches of lonely road feature a tale or two about a phantom hitchhiker. They’re always eerily similar in structure. A driver stops to pick up a stranger, often a young woman. During the journey, she vanishes from the back of the car. Sometimes, the driver goes to the address she gave him to investigate. Did […]
The Foundling, a Short Creepy Tale
I rise at 5am, as I do every day, and I make my rounds of the dormitories. They are empty now, and it has been many years since children laid their heads there. It never hurts to inspect them nonetheless. Glass cases now occupy the rooms, detailing the daily routines of the children. Printed text […]
Did the Queen Rat of London really live in the sewers?
If you’ve read China Miéville’s King Rat, then you’ll know dark things can stir beneath London. But perhaps it’s not a King Rat. Perhaps it’s a Queen Rat. Only those who venture into the deep, dark places would encounter such a creature. Let me introduce you to the toshers. What does a tosher do? When the River […]
The City’s True Face: A Free Short Story
I walk up the street and the darkness of the early hours surrounds me. Flickering street lights hum among bare tree branches. Silhouettes dance across shuttered shop fronts. A fox lurks behind a phone box and noses through discarded food wrappers. The low drone of occasional traffic ceases. For a few moments, no cars pass. […]
The Appeal of Leadenhall Market
I was down in London for a swift break at the weekend, and as I found myself in the City late on Friday, I figured I’d take a short detour via Leadenhall Market to take some more photos. It’s a magnificent structure and I sometimes feel like it’s one of those places you’d walk past […]
