London Fortean Society

Tuesday 28 July 2026 The Highgate Vampire We explore the series of events that occurred at London’s Highgate Cemetery between 1968 and 1970 and the media furore that surrounded them. We look at the two main characters involved in drawing media attention to the cemetery during the height of the witchcraft revival in the UK, and the links with black magic and the occult, and discuss the aftermath and the cultural connections that this unique event inspired. Filmmaker Gary Parsons guides us through the tombs and catacombs to give a sense of how the Highgate Vampire stirred the British public into becoming hunters of the undead. Date: Tuesday 28 July 2026 Time: 8pm (Doors 7.30) Venue: The Bell 50 Middlesex Street E1 7EX (Tubes: Liverpool Street, Aldgate, Aldgate East) Tickets: £5/£3 https://wegottickets.com/f/22872    

The Levitating Hamster and the Salmon of Doubt Tuesday 30 June 2026     Animals contribute hugely to science but are rarely considered stars of the show. Even when a piece of research makes us laugh (and then think) hard enough to be recognised with an Ig Nobel award, the real heroes – the animals themselves – are often overlooked. Science communicator and host of Science in the Pub, Richard Marshall , has collected some of the funniest, quirkiest and most bizarre stories of animals in science, asking: Can a hamster levitate? Does a salmon emote? Did herring inspire a Doctor Who spoof? And just why are there so many cats in science? Date: Tuesday 30 June 2026 Time: 8pm (Doors 7.30) Venue: The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street E1 7EX (Tubes: Liverpool Street, Aldgate, Aldgate East) Tickets: £5/£3 https://wegottickets.com/f/21077

  Tuesday 26 May 2026 A 21st-Century Werewolf in Hull? In 2016, a peculiar story hit local headlines – a werewolf was loping around Barmston drain, an 18th-century canal in Hull. It was tabloid gold; soon national newspapers amplified the reports, and the story even reached the Huffington Post . Rock star Alice Cooper mentioned it on social media. But what lay behind the sensational spin? How many eye-witnesses were there and what did they really say? Was a werewolf really loping around Hull in 2016? Folklorist and Uncanny expert Deborah Hyde investigates the Hull Werewolf’s folkloric and contemporary context. Venue: The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street E1 7EX (Tubes: Liverpool Street, Aldgate, Aldgate East) Date:Tuesday 26 May 2026  Time: 8pm (Doors 7.30) Tickets: £5/£3 https://wegottickets.com/f/19274  

A ghost. A witch. A princess. This is a story of those who lie. And of those who choose to believe them. Thursday 7 May 2026 7 pm - 8.30 pm In advance: • Standard £15 • Living Support £8 • Student £10 (+ £2 venue levy) On the Door: • Standard £16 • Living Support £9 • Student £11  (+ £2 venue levy) Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL Getting to Conway Hall Join the London Fortean Email List Here lies Fanny Lynes, who, after death, became the notorious scratching ghost of Cock Lane, London. Here swings Mary Bateman, the Yorkshire Witch and apocalyptic prophetess who died a murderer. Here stands Mary Willcocks. Or is it Anne Burgess? Or Princess Caraboo, from the distant island of Javasu? A ghost. A witch. A princess. This is a story of those who lie. And of those who choose to believe them. Join History Hit After Dark ’s Madeleine Pelling and Anthony Delaney as they discuss Madeline’s new book Hoax: A ghost, a witch and a princess in the Age of Enlightenment . The di...

***  SOLD OUT  *** 28 April 2026 The Fortean and Folklore Origins of Hookland This event has sold out. We hope to be able to repeat it some time in the next few months, so if you missed out this time, please look out for announcements here and on our Facebook page.   Hookland – an open-source strange landscape whose motto is re-enchantment is resistance – has become a favourite online project among many fans of horror and hauntology. Author David Southwell created the lost English county, described by Fortean Times as “pitch-perfect” and “breathtaking”, not only to challenge the nationalistic weaponistion of folklore, but to re-wild the subject.  In this lively talk he will not only examine the folkloric origins of Hookland, but some of the forteana that underpins it. Delving into his childhood, expect true tales of daylight disappearances, UFO cults atop Essex hills and naked amnesiacs appearing in Romford’s high street. Date: Tuesday 28 April 2026 Time: 8pm (Doors...

A day of ghosts, monsters, UFOs and Fortean strangeness on 18 April 202 at Conway Hall, central London and online. Join the London Fortean Society for a day of deep dives into the paranormal world. We will be hosting expert talks on ghost hunting, flying saucers, sea monsters, sasquatches, and more. Saturday 18 April 2026 10 am - 5 pm In advance: Standard £25 / Living Support £17 / Student £21 (inc. £2 venue levy) Advance Tickets Online: £12 (inc. £2 venue levy) Advance Tickets Conway Hall , 25 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL Getting to Conway Hall Join the London Fortean Email List All ages. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult. Timings 10am David Clarke: Deception, Conspiracy and the New Folklore of the Calvine UFO 11am Dominic Chorney: History's Weird Money: Treasures of the Occult 12pm Darren Naish: Sea Monsters Past and Present 1pm Lunch 2pm Andrew J Bartlett & Jamie Lewis: The Shape of Bigfoot: Making Knowledge Claims from Absences 3pm Mark Pilkington: UFOs:...