The London Ghost Tour

One guide, every walk in London

The London Ghost Tour is the website of Richard Jones, a London guide who runs his own evening walking tours of the City of London and the East End: ghost walks on selected Fridays and Saturdays, a Jack the Ripper walk every night, and seasonal Halloween and Christmas walks. Every tour is in London and on foot, starting from an Underground station exit or a pub. The footer gives the business as "London Ghost Walks With Richard Jones", with a PO Box address in London E18, and the phone line is 020 8530-8443. The one price shown on the site is in pounds.

The site's whole pitch rests on the guide. The about page describes Jones as "a fully qualified and licensed Blue Badge Tourist Guide who has been conducting his acclaimed ghost walk around London since 1982", which it says makes him "London's longest established ghost tours guide". It calls him the author of 22 books on the ghosts and legends of Britain and Ireland, and says he "pioneered such popular London tours as The Jack the Ripper Walk and the London Ghost Walk".

The regular walks

The Jack the Ripper Walk is the most frequent. The homepage lists it under "EVERY NIGHT" at 7pm, meeting outside Exit 1 of Aldgate East Underground, and describes following "in the footsteps of Jack the Ripper through the East End's thoroughfares" to "learn the full story of the murders that shook Victorian society to its core." The about page calls it "the seven nights a week Jack the Ripper tour" and credits Jones with pioneering it. His Ripper credentials are laid out there too: the books Uncovering Jack the Ripper's London (2007) and Jack the Ripper: The Casebook (2008), an appearance on the DVD for the film From Hell, and presenting the History Channel's The Hunt For Jack the Ripper.

The Friday walk, listed for "SELECTED FRIDAYS" as the Hidden Horrors Ghost Walk, meets at 7pm outside The Lord Raglan Pub and promises "the haunted streets, churchyards and Roman ruins of one of London's most historic and atmospheric quarters". The Saturday walk, the Alleyways and Shadows Ghost Walk on "SELECTED SATURDAYS", meets outside Exit 3 of Bank Underground and heads into "the shadowy alleyways that snake their way through the historic heart of the haunted City." The homepage gives its start as 7pm; the menu on the about page says 7.30pm, so the time is worth confirming when booking.

The walks mix history with ghost stories. The homepage says Jones draws on "Richard's extensive files on the Capital's paranormal happenings" and that he takes guests "to places that other ghost walks never visit". It is also candid about the style: he is "not one of those dry-as-dust type of guides", and his tours are "dramatic performances". He wears what the site calls "Victorian undertaker's garb", a black frock coat, waistcoat and cravat.

Seasonal walks and private tours

The Christmas page describes Richard Jones's 40th annual Haunted Christmas Ghost Walk, for 2022, held on Wednesday 28th December at 7pm from outside Exit 3 of Bank Station. It lists the cost as £12 per person, the duration as 1 hour 45 minutes, and the end point as St Martin Le Grand. The route takes in dark City alleyways, a church tower linked to a demon hound, a tavern tied to the Hell Fire Club, streets connected to Dickens's Scrooge and a churchyard grave where the walk ends with an old incantation. The page suggests bringing a camera, since "people have frequently snapped possible evidence of paranormal activity" at these spots. The same page's closing section describes "around 90 minutes" of walking, which does not match the 1 hour 45 minutes given above it. The homepage lists a Halloween walk for October 31st 2024, and the menu carries Halloween and Christmas pages alongside gift vouchers.

Private tours are booked by phone. The homepage says the ghost walks can be "booked as a private tour for your office social, tour group, or even as an outing with a difference for a group of friends or relatives", and the testimonials include a department store staff club from Windsor and a coach operator who brought a coach load of guests into London.

On the day and in the rain

The Christmas page sets out the practical terms for that walk: "The walk always takes place regardless of what the weather is doing", guests should dress for rain, and in wet weather there is "a nice wet weather route that offers us a reasonable amount of shelter" at the stops, though walkers are exposed between them. It suggests allowing 3 minutes per Underground station plus 10 minutes for delays when planning the journey, and checking the TFL website for disruption.

Phone lines are staffed Monday to Friday from 10.30am to 4.30pm; outside those hours callers can leave a message. The site also offers an email link.

Richard Jones's record

The about page lists a long run of books, including Walking Haunted London (1999), Haunted Britain and Ireland (2001), Haunted London (2004), History and Mystery Walks of London (2007) and Haunted Britain (2010), plus guides to Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Bath and Dublin. The homepage says he has "personally investigated almost 3,000 haunted locations". His television work includes BBC1's Breakfast News, ITV's This Morning, Blue Peter on Halloween 2004, and 9 episodes of Living TV's Most Haunted Live as a resident historian. The homepage quotes the London Evening Standard crediting him with "impeccable research" and "having honed his performance on more than 5,000 guided tours", and The Orange County Register calling him "a delightfully animated guide".

What the site does not settle

The site does not publish current prices for its regular Friday, Saturday or Jack the Ripper walks, or their length; the only price and duration it gives are for the 2022 Christmas walk. It gives no cancellation or refund policy on its tour pages beyond a link to terms and conditions. Group sizes are not stated, though one testimonial mentions "such a large crowd". Several pages carry dates from past seasons (Christmas 2022, Halloween 2017 and 2024), and the Ripper meeting point appears as both Exit 1 and Exit 4 of Aldgate East, so the booking page is the place to confirm details. Accessibility is not addressed.

The London Ghost Tour suits visitors who want a ghost walk or a Jack the Ripper walk with a guide who has written the books on the subject and performs the stories with some theater. Anyone wanting a fixed price and duration before they arrive will need to check the booking page or call during office hours.