University College Hospital, London

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3 Responses

  1. Ian Topham says:

    Re: University College Hospital, London
    The Paranormal Database refers to the portrait of Beck and the tradition of closing the shutters on it. Anyone falling asleep under the picture apparently became ill and possibly died. It was stolen in 2001.

  2. Ian Topham says:

    Re: University College Hospital, London
    The legal and social reformer, Jeremy Bentham (Born 15 February 1748 – Died 6 June 1832) is also generally thought to haunt the University College Hospital. His will left his body for dissection in an anatomy lecture and his skeleton and head were subsequently preserved and put on display in a wooden cabinet. The skeletal remains were dressed in his Bentham’s clothes and stuffed with straw. The Auto-icon, as it is known has a wax head, though the original head was for a while kept in the same cabinet. The University College Hospital acquired the Auto-icon in 1850 from the physician Thomas Southwood Smith (Born 21 December 1788 – Died 10 December 1861) and was kept on display in the main building.

    The following account was printed in ‘Chambers Guide to London The Secret City’ – ‘Some years ago, a mathematics teacher, Neil King, working late into the night, heard the distant echo of a walking stick tapping in the corridor. He opened the door and was amazed to see Jeremy Bentam coming toward him, dressed in the embalmed figure’s clothes and wearing white gloves. When it was no further than about two yards, the ghost suddenly reached forward as if to seize him. Just when the terrified Mr King expected to be thrown to the ground, he found himself alone. The spectre of Jeremy Bentham had disappeared.’

    Note, Bentham’s walking stick had a name: Dapple.

  3. Ian Topham says:

    Re: University College Hospital, London
    The name of the nurse who accidentally administered a deadly dose of morphine and subsequently is thought to haunt the hospital is thought to be Lizzie Church.