World of Mysteries - Hidden City of London

London, Europe’s biggest and busiest metropolis, visited by 28 million tourists every year. They come for history, culture, and entertainment, but behind the glamour of the bright lights lies a concealed sinister city that most travellers don’t get to see. This is the Hidden City of London.

London is a city rich in history, but you won’t see it all from a double decker bus. In this programme we explore a secret subterranean world. We hunt for ghosts of centuries past, and unravel the most famous English mystery of all, Jack the Ripper.

In 1888, Jack the Ripper was the most feared name in London. The Ripper preyed upon prostitutes of the East End, in just ten weeks he savagely murdered five women, but to this day his true identity remains a mystery. In Victorian England the East End of London was a gloomy network of narrow cobbled streets shrouded in thick smog, life here was hard.

Each year on November 5th hundreds of bonfires burn across the city as millions celebrate Guy Fawkes Night. Guy Fawkes was a seventeenth century terrorist captured trying to blow up the Houses of Parliament with two tonnes of gunpowder. Fawkes was imprisoned in one of the most brutal and terrifying places of all, the Tower of London.

The West End is the Broadway of Europe. This is theatre land with over 40 playhouses in a single square mile. The Theatre Royal at Drury Lane is hundreds of years old, and seats 2500 theatre goers, both living, and dead. Mark Fox has been at the theatre since 1992, he claims to know of at least three ghosts that haunt the building, and he has a possible explanation for one of them.

In search of London’s darker mysteries we sail up the River Thames to one of the most glorious palaces in England. Hampton Court represents 500 years of royal history, and with it, countless hauntings.

Westminster, in the heart of London is Britain’s political hub and home to matters of vital national security, but these buildings were not built to withstand the impact of the Blitz of World War II. Instead Winston Churchill’s war cabinet held their meets at a top secret location below ground. Now a museum, the Churchill War Rooms have been left exactly as they were when they were abandoned in 1945.

“Hidden City of London”, is a documentary, from the “World of Mysteries” series.

[Roscoe.P.Coldchain]

I love these old London videos, I lived there in 95-6 in Bethnal Green..When I used to walk down the ancient roads I could just feel the energy of the past and often wondered about the people who once walked there..

[sf]

1:38 Jack the Ripper
20:22 Guy Fawkes
23:15 Ghosts
31:50 Hauntings of Hampton Court
40:00 Secret tunnels

[divaden]

Very often it's more fun reading all the comments than watching the actual programme they are discussing!! :)

[scottdessy]

Jack The Ripper and Winnie The Pooh both have the same middle name, , , coincidence? I think not...

[oliviawd]

Never known a documentary to be so all over the place

[johndillon]

I remember working in London on a construction project at the M.O.D. in 2000. The builders discovered Henry the eighth's wine cellar. It was all cordoned off by archeologists and preserved.

[fishfire_]

Awesome with the endless intriguing stories on the net finally a new one we haven't heard over and over and over Over the last 50 decades.

[OofusTwillip]

I worked at Drury Lane, in the summer of 1991. I felt some weird vibes there, but the resident ghosts were friendly to me.

[sampunnett]

Oh! I was hoping Spring Heeled Jack would be featured in this.

[aflockofseacowsesquire]

"Hidden city of London" opens with the single most famous and well known London story.

[thestick]

London's such an amazing city and I just love it. ❤️ Love & light from Florianopolis, Brazil

[kathyuk]

I visited The War Rooms many times...they were amazing! Even had Churchill's cigar that was put out abruptly.

[maryanneslater]

Theatre ghosts have much more personality and presence than castle ghosts. I suppose it's because they still want an audience.

I know two people who worked in theatres after hours. Both of them were in the habit of saying "good night" to the resident spirits before they locked up. By name, in both cases.

[bruce]

Very enjoyable and educational viewing

[itzJustlev]

Wow...this really helped me in my school History. Thx!

[jamesseamge]

A street patrolled every 15mins you would be lucky to see a Policeman walk down the street during a year nowadays

[emilygilbeyful]

how do you quantify most haunted? I mean I have been to tower of London 4 times and never seen a ghost but felt some spooky shit at my mates house once therefore his house is the most haunted in my book.

[TMIDiva]

Jack The Ripper. Okay, awful. There's just so many times a person can listen to stories about this crime. Enough already! I thought this was going to be about secret passages and historical facts that were newly discovered.

[davidmyles]

Listen at 3 minutes 38 seconds, before the speakers face is shown! Sound familiar?

[kevinbarnbrook]

It is a wonder they haven't mentioned Bank tube station, were the old crypts were, where ghosts can still be seen, or is it just the tube that occasionally turns up.