London Ghost Bus
The Routemaster bus is a classic sight in London, but when this bus arrives EVERYONE turns round to look. Painted a midnight black, the London Ghost Bus has a striking presence and with the soft lighting and red velvet curtains at the windows, has a very funereal feeling about it.
Which is apt as the Necropolis Bus Company began in the 19th century as a private funeral bus service. The Necropolis vehicles or ‘Carcass Coaches’ as they were known to Londoners were able to convey the deceased, pall bearers and up to 50 to their final resting place.
Regular service ran until 1967 when a tragic fire at the company depot in razed the building to the ground and destroyed almost the entire fleet of buses. Only one vehicle was salvaged from the ashes and was locked in a storage facility for 40 years. It has now been restored to its original design and is operated by NECROBUS.
Once our tickets were checked by a sombre looking conductor we took our place on the luxuriously appointed top deck and our journey began.
Very soon it became apparent that this is no normal bus, as it is fitted with a number of cameras that the conductor can talk into which are projected onto the large TV screen at the front of the bus. With this, the conductor can give us an intimate performance where we can clearly see the expressions on his face. This truly adds to the experience as we can see that this is not just someone reading a script but actually performing in a role. This performance element really adds to the atmosphere.
The tour is intended to be a historical and accurate recount of some of the more gruesome and ghastly tales of London and the route ticks off all the usual suspects such as the haunted Tower of London, the sights of many famous plague pits and the un-dead spirits that haunt many of the capitals buildings. The stories are recounted with an evil glint in the eye and a slightly sadistic glee about the gruesome way in which the original deaths arose!
The stories come thick and fast through the tour and there is always something new to discover around every corner. We also learnt a bit more about the strange history of the bus itself which carefully pre-empts some of the events later on the tour.
Along the way, we were surprised by some extra inhabitants on board the bus and the arrival of one actor veered this tour away from educational fun and into something a bit more personal and scary!
And it’s not just the actors. The bus is tricked out with a few effects that add to the story being told and help to crank up the tension. We obviously wouldn’t want to spoil anything but everyone left the bus laughing after one final scare that made us ALL jump out of our seats.
We boarded the early tour at 7.30 and unfortunately this meant we hit a lot of traffic as well as some roadworks and diversions. The cast on the bus coped admirably with the delays and were able to stay in character while they adlibbed their way through the delays. Even so – there were a few times where perhaps silence may have been golden as the banter wasn’t really adding anything to the tour. Perhaps the organisers could have a few more video cut scenes or effects ready to use during these times?
Another small point was that many of the sights were not always clear to see as they were either on the wrong side of the bus or up too high. But what did we expect? This is a moving tour through London and as such the bus can’t just stop anywhere just so we can have a look!
These criticisms are only minor though, as when the tour is in full flow, it really is a lot of fun. The wealth of knowledge and detail provided is very impressive and the delivery style adds to the atmosphere without ever bordering into caricature or parody.
Certainly everyone on our tour had a great time and the cast got a round of applause as we pulled into our final destination.
So, if you are looking for some detailed history of some of the scariest ghosts in London as well a few theatrical flourishes and effects, then the Ghost Bus Tour is for you.
Which is apt as the Necropolis Bus Company began in the 19th century as a private funeral bus service. The Necropolis vehicles or ‘Carcass Coaches’ as they were known to Londoners were able to convey the deceased, pall bearers and up to 50 to their final resting place.
Regular service ran until 1967 when a tragic fire at the company depot in razed the building to the ground and destroyed almost the entire fleet of buses. Only one vehicle was salvaged from the ashes and was locked in a storage facility for 40 years. It has now been restored to its original design and is operated by NECROBUS.
Once our tickets were checked by a sombre looking conductor we took our place on the luxuriously appointed top deck and our journey began.
Very soon it became apparent that this is no normal bus, as it is fitted with a number of cameras that the conductor can talk into which are projected onto the large TV screen at the front of the bus. With this, the conductor can give us an intimate performance where we can clearly see the expressions on his face. This truly adds to the experience as we can see that this is not just someone reading a script but actually performing in a role. This performance element really adds to the atmosphere.
The tour is intended to be a historical and accurate recount of some of the more gruesome and ghastly tales of London and the route ticks off all the usual suspects such as the haunted Tower of London, the sights of many famous plague pits and the un-dead spirits that haunt many of the capitals buildings. The stories are recounted with an evil glint in the eye and a slightly sadistic glee about the gruesome way in which the original deaths arose!
The stories come thick and fast through the tour and there is always something new to discover around every corner. We also learnt a bit more about the strange history of the bus itself which carefully pre-empts some of the events later on the tour.
Along the way, we were surprised by some extra inhabitants on board the bus and the arrival of one actor veered this tour away from educational fun and into something a bit more personal and scary!
And it’s not just the actors. The bus is tricked out with a few effects that add to the story being told and help to crank up the tension. We obviously wouldn’t want to spoil anything but everyone left the bus laughing after one final scare that made us ALL jump out of our seats.
We boarded the early tour at 7.30 and unfortunately this meant we hit a lot of traffic as well as some roadworks and diversions. The cast on the bus coped admirably with the delays and were able to stay in character while they adlibbed their way through the delays. Even so – there were a few times where perhaps silence may have been golden as the banter wasn’t really adding anything to the tour. Perhaps the organisers could have a few more video cut scenes or effects ready to use during these times?
Another small point was that many of the sights were not always clear to see as they were either on the wrong side of the bus or up too high. But what did we expect? This is a moving tour through London and as such the bus can’t just stop anywhere just so we can have a look!
These criticisms are only minor though, as when the tour is in full flow, it really is a lot of fun. The wealth of knowledge and detail provided is very impressive and the delivery style adds to the atmosphere without ever bordering into caricature or parody.
Certainly everyone on our tour had a great time and the cast got a round of applause as we pulled into our final destination.
So, if you are looking for some detailed history of some of the scariest ghosts in London as well a few theatrical flourishes and effects, then the Ghost Bus Tour is for you.
This review was written by Michael Bolton and originally appeared on Haunted Attractions UK.
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Mildly scary - I have enjoyed the tour three times so far and have loved everyone as they are different each time due to the people involved. Well done. See you in March.
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