The new pub is on the site of a major tragedy, and the former home of the London Dungeon
A new Wetherspoon has been exorcised of ghosts ahead of its opening on September 30. The site of the Sun Wharf pub in London used to be home to the London Dungeon, and the Dungeon’s current medium has visited the site to perform a ‘cleansing séance’.
The medium cleansed the space by rounding up any lingering ghosts and ghouls and directing them towards the current home of the Dungeon on the South Bank. The site of the Sun Wharf, Tooley Street, dates back to medieval times and was one of the busiest routes east out of London.
By the 19th century the road was infamous for dangerous, crowded conditions among dockworkers and lightermen. In 1861, the Great Fire of Tooley Street destroyed miles of warehouses along the riverfront. It raged for two days, killed at least six people (including James Braidwood, superintendent of the London Fire Engine Establishment), and was the most destructive fire in London since 1666.
It is feared many more people may have died in the fire but as they were poor, and the heat of the fire was intense enough to destroy human remains, their deaths may have gone unrecorded. The area was abandoned with the decline of industry in the 20th century until it was revived in the 1980s.
The London Dungeon opened in 1974 and was originally a wax exhibition of dark history, consisting of themed tableaux under the London Bridge station arches. Over the years, the attraction rebranded as an interactive horror experience, staying true to its historical roots but adding a more playful and humorous element by retelling the unsettling tales of London’s Victorian past.
In 2013, the London Dungeon moved from Tooley Street, where it had resided for 39 years, to County Hall, South Bank.
But Tooley Street won’t be completely stripped of its past as the history will be kept alive by the London Dungeon donating old photography and artefacts to preserve the grisly legacy for punters to enjoy alongside their haunted hops and poltergeist pints.
A London Dungeon spokesperson said: “For nearly 40 years, our Tooley Street location terrified and entertained visitors with chilling tales of London’s dark history. Our move to the South Bank has allowed us to expand our horrifying repertoire and make it one of the most infamous attractions in the capital. Tooley Street can rest easy now as we’ve ensured that all the ghosts have traversed the Thames to the South Bank, where historic horrors of Victorian London await.”
