The story of the British Museum station is unique among London’s haunted Underground sites, not least because the station itself has been closed since 1933. Yet its legend persists, fuelled by its connection to the nearby British Museum and the ancient mysteries housed within its walls. The haunting of British Museum station is a tale that blends urban myth, archaeological intrigue, and a deep sense of the uncanny.
British Museum station was opened in 1900 to serve the Central line, located just a short walk from the museum itself. Almost from the outset, the station acquired a reputation for being an unsettling place. Staff and passengers reported unnerving sensations, such as sudden drops in temperature and unexplained cold spots, as well as strange, echoing sounds that seemed to emanate from the tunnels late at night. Some described hearing unearthly shrieks and moans, noises that were so intense they reportedly disturbed even the most seasoned Underground workers. The sense of unease was heightened by reports of lights flickering inexplicably and the persistent feeling of being watched while waiting on the platform.
However, it was after its closure that the station’s legend truly took hold. The most famous ghost associated with British Museum station is that of an Egyptian priestess, said to be connected to the so-called “unlucky mummy” housed in the museum. According to legend, the mummy was removed from its tomb in Thebes and brought to London in the late 19th century. Almost immediately, those who came into contact with the artefact began to suffer a series of misfortunes, leading to rumours that it was cursed.
The connection between the mummy and the station emerged in the 1930s, when stories began to circulate of a spectral figure, dressed in ancient Egyptian garb, haunting the disused platforms and tunnels. Witnesses described seeing a tall, regal woman, her face obscured by ceremonial headdress, gliding silently through the darkness. Some claimed to hear her chanting in an unknown language, while others reported the overpowering scent of incense or the sudden, inexplicable appearance of sand on the platform. In the days following particularly intense sightings, some staff claimed to discover strange scratch marks on the walls of the abandoned station, as if something—or someone—had tried to claw its way out.
The legend reached its peak in 1935, when two women reportedly vanished from nearby Holborn station, which is connected to the former British Museum station by a network of service tunnels. According to some accounts, the women were last seen entering a restricted area near the old station entrance. Around the time of their disappearance, witnesses described hearing desperate screams and moans echoing from the tunnels, but no trace of the women was ever found. Their disappearance was never explained, and the story quickly became part of London’s urban folklore.
Holborn station, which remains open and serves as a busy interchange, has inherited much of the haunted reputation of its closed neighbour. Staff and passengers have reported a range of strange phenomena, including flickering lights, sudden drops in temperature, and the sound of footsteps echoing through empty corridors. Some have even claimed to see the ghostly figure of the Egyptian priestess, moving silently through the tunnels or standing motionless on the platform. There are persistent rumours of a secret tunnel linking the British Museum directly to the old station, allegedly used by the ghost to travel between the museum’s Egyptian collection and the Underground. While no evidence of such a passage has ever been found, the idea continues to capture the imagination of those who work in and pass through the area.
The haunted reputation of British Museum and Holborn stations is further fuelled by the presence of the museum itself, with its vast collection of ancient artefacts and mummies. Some believe that the disturbance of these relics has unleashed a supernatural force that lingers in the area, manifesting in the form of apparitions, poltergeist activity, and unexplained phenomena. The legend was so widespread that, shortly before the station closed, two British newspapers reportedly offered cash rewards to anyone brave enough to spend a night alone in the station, but no one accepted the challenge.
Despite the skepticism of some, the legend of the haunted British Museum station endures. The story has inspired countless articles, books, and even a 1935 film, “Bulldog Jack,” in which the station’s haunted tunnels play a central role. For many, the tale is a reminder of the enduring power of myth and the ways in which the past can intrude upon the present in the most unexpected places.
Today, the entrance to the old British Museum station remains sealed, but its legend lives on in the stories told by those who work at nearby Holborn Station, and in the persistent sense that something ancient and uncanny still lingers beneath the city streets.
