Come the middle of the 19th century the tale of Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street, began to emerge. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Legends such as Spring-Heeled Jack and the Vampire of Highgate Cemetery are examined, and the book concludes with a gazetteer of notable occult sites. In 1960 the French poet and occultist, Jean Cocteau, an alleged Grand Master of the Priory of Sion, visited the Church of Notre Dame de France in Leicester Square.

Given the occult traditions of London at this time, who is to say that the witches did not play their part in the war effort? The legend of the Highgate vampire has its roots in tales of creatures that roamed the north London district of Dracula author, Bram Stoker.The origins of Mithraism are uncertain, although it is known to have been popular amongst Roman soldiers, most likely because it provided a comforting framework for the afterlife, and understandably so. Their psychic reading have a particularly good reputation, so to get an insight into your future, book ahead here. In this episode we will explore some of the theories behind ancient prehistoric Talismans and Amulets. Head to Highgate for a gothic atmosphere, with plenty of fascinating stories to discover when you take the time to read inscriptions. It hosts objects and tells stories from the most fascinating performers and magicians, and is a treat for magic geeks and kids.

Also check out Kate Hodges’ new book, Warriors, Witches, Women – “the stories of 50 goddesses, ghosts, and half-monsters, revisited from a modern, feminist perspective”, with a foreword by Maxine Peak. There are many museum exhibits in London that document these changes via artefacts and re-creations. Charles II also domesticated the ravens at the Tower of London, a tradition summed up as follows: “If the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it.

Like the Masonic rituals that would be conducted some fifteen hundred years later in London’s Grand Lodge, Mithraism included ritual meals and a secret handshake. This episode discusses some of the ideas of the preparation of the self from a magical perspective as being a way of raising ones energy or vibration before magical or spiritual work. Some say it came from Troy, others believe it was a druid stone or even the stone from which Arthur extracted Excalibur.