London Fortean Society

This year, The Haunted Landscape entertains the Great God Pan with Professor Ronald Hutton and Sara Hannant , meets fairies new and old with Francis Young and Jo Hickey-Hall , witnesses witch trials with Marion Gibson, and walks Britain's haunted lands with Jeremy Harte and The Stone Lands Fiona Robertson . In person and online. Saturday 21 November 2026 10 am - 5 pm Book in-person tickets : £25 • £20 Student • £17 Living Support (inc. booking fee). Book online only tickets : £14 (inc. booking fee). Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL Getting to Conway Hall Ronald Hutton  - The Return of the Horned God Sara Hannant - Panic: Visions of the Horned God Francis Young - A History of European Fairy Traditions Jeremy Harte - Mad, Bad or Sad? Ghost Monks and their Hidden Treasures     Fiona Robertson - Stone Lands: A Journey Through Britain’s Ancient Places Marion Gibson  -  Witchland: A Tale of Witch Hunting and War Jo Hickey-Hall - Modern ...

Dr. Thomas Waters, author of Magick: Decoding the Visual Culture of Spells, Illusions and Psychic Powers, uncovers key features of magic through stone age symbols, lavish spellbooks, twisted figurines, and enchanted weapons. Friday 4 September 2026 7 pm - 8.30 pm Book in advance: • £15 • £10 Student • £8 Living Support (plus booking fee). Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL Getting to Conway Hall Explore the nature and history of magic through an illustrated talk by Imperial College historian Dr. Thomas Waters . Stone Age symbols. Lavish spellbooks. Twisted figurines. Enchanted weapons.  Using remarkable objects, Dr. Waters uncovers key features of magic and explains why it has enchanted people since the dawn of humanity. Spanning prehistory to the present, the talk is based on Dr. Waters’ new illustrated study, M agick: Decoding the Visual Culture of Spells, Illusions and Psychic Powers (Thames & Hudson, 2026).  This inclusive event aims to welcome, entert...

  The Hidden Road To Self-Help Tuesday 25 August 2026   A global multi-billion industry, the world of Self-Help guidance and advice feels an inescapable part of life in the 21st century. Although many of its advocates suggest its origins lie in timeless practices and ancient belief systems, Ross MacFarlane shows that developments in the late 19th century – in communications technology, new religious movements and the occult revival – are key to our understanding of Self-Help. Whilst this talk can’t guarantee personal growth or a more fulfilling life, it will leave you with a greater understanding of the origins of the movement, introduce you to some of its more ‘colourful’ adherents and outline its direct influence on President Donald J Trump… Date: Tuesday 25 August 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/23936      

  Still to come this year at the Bell  25 August – Ross MacFarlane – The Hidden Road To Self-Help 29 September – Dr Felix Taylor – The Golden Dawn and the Arts 27 October – Jerry Glover – Ancient Mysteries and Magic in the Balkans  24 November – John Constable – The History of Crossbones Late December – ’Twixt Xmas & NY: Fortean Drinks (TBA) Tickets for these talks are on sale 5-6 weeks before each event with full details on our flyers, on this blog and on our FB page The Bell 50 Middlesex Street E1 7EX (Tubes: Liverpool Street, Aldgate, Aldgate East)  Meetings are on the last Tuesday of the month and start at 8pm (doors 7.30)   Sign up for our newsletter at https://t.co/QgdLPmlFkM Fortean discussion at https://bsky.app/profile/forteanlondon.bsky.social Find details and order tickets for all London Fortean Society events via http://forteanlondon.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/LondonForteanSociety  

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:...

Celebrity Séances Tuesday 31 March 2026     In this light-hearted talk paranormal historian, author and broadcaster Dr Kate Cherrell takes a sideways look at the weird world of celebrity séances in western history, from Elvis’s spectral adventures in Watford to Mark Twain’s post-mortem literature. Since the creation of the modern celebrity, séance and the supernatural have been unhappy bedfellows, allowing audiences to incite or imagine interactions with their idols. Mediums and psychics have built careers on the backs of dead celebrities, with many long-dead pop stars unknowingly spurring an entire subsection of psychic memoirs and after-death experiences. Neither Elvis, John Lennon nor Diana, Princess of Wales have had restful afterlives, but have experienced decades of public appearances and sightings, captured on film, vinyl and countless paperback books. Venue: The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street E1 7EX (Tubes: Liverpool Street, Aldgate, Aldgate East) Date: 31 March 2016 Time:...

Tuesday 24 February 2026 A Policeman’s Progress from Law to Lore   What is behind the current renaissance of British folk culture? Why are various forms of paganism attracting so many new followers?  Ex-cop and QI researcher/scriptwriter Stevyn Colgan set out on a five-year mission to find out. And now he's sharing his conclusions. And plenty of quite interesting facts.  Venue: The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street E1 7EX (Tubes: Liverpool Street, Aldgate, Aldgate East) Date: Tuesday 24 February 2026  Time: 8pm (Doors 7.30) Tickets: £5/£3 https://wegottickets.com/event/689355/

*** SOLD OUT ***  Tuesday 27 January 2026 Victorian Mummymania Before Tutankhamen unleashed his curse and Universal Studios’ mummy shuffled onto our screens, Victorian society was swept up in Egyptomania. Dr Jay Sullivan , author of Egyptian Gothic, unearths the mostly-forgotten trend that was originally more popular than vampire fiction: a 40-year craze for novels about reanimated mummies, cursed jewellery, and nightmarish museums.  But sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. At the same time, a magical secret cult formed in the galleries of the British Museum, the rich held mummy unwrapping parties, and the casual Egyptian tourist opted to bring more than a postcard back from their Thomas Cook trip.    Venue: The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street E1 7EX Tubes: Liverpool Street, Aldgate, Aldgate East Date:  Tuesday 27 January 2026 Time: 8pm (Doors 7.30) Tickets: £5/£3 https://wegottickets.com/event/687014/  

  Sunday 28 December 2025 ’Twixt Xmas & NY We don’t have a meeting in December, but fortean friends old and new are invited to get together for a drink mid-way between the end-of-year festivities.  A new venue this year: the newly-reopened Blue Maid  pub on Borough High Street,  five minutes from London Bridge or Borough stations. Lots of beers on offer – but the three hand-pulled ales (two bitter, one mild) are £5 a pint, and only £4 on a Sunday! Burgers or pizza can be ordered in from the pub. The Blue Maid 174 Borough High Street, SE1 1HR Sunday 28 December 2025, 7.30pm onwards  

 London Fortean Society at the Bell in 2026 Jan 27 – Dr Jay Sullivan – Victorian Mummymania  Feb 24 – Stevyn Colgan – A Policeman’s Progress from Law to Lore  Mar 31 – Dr Kate Cherrell – Celebrity Séances Apr 28 – David Southwell – The Fortean and Folklore Origins of Hookland May 26 – Deborah Hyde – A 21st-Century Werewolf in Hull? Jun 30 – Richard Marshall – The Levitating Hamster Jul 28 – Gary Parsons – The Highgate Vampire Tickets for each talk will be available a month before the event, with full details on our flyers, on this blog and on our FB page https://www.facebook.com/LondonForteanSociety/ The Bell 50 Middlesex Street E1 7EX (Tubes: Liverpool Street, Aldgate, Aldgate East)  Meetings are on the last Tuesday of the month and start at 8pm (doors 7.30)

Tuesday 25 November 2025 The Tomb of the Mili Mongga   While exploring and discovering an entire recently extinct mammal fauna on an Indonesian island, Prof Samuel Turvey heard stories of a mysterious wildman called the mili mongga, a giant yeti-like beast supposedly living in the island's remote forests.  Professor of Conservation Biology at the Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Sam Turvey draws together scientific exploration, anthropology, cryptozoology, folklore and more in this fascinating talk, which explores the many reasons why we might believe in stories about wildmen. The Bell, 50 Middlesex Street E1 7EX  (Tubes: Liverpool Street, Aldgate, Aldgate East) Tuesday 25 November 2025 8pm (Doors 7.30) Tickets £5/£3 https://wegottickets.com/event/681091/  

Whose claws are scratching at the church door? What’s that ghost tumbling over the moor? Who’s that figure cut into the earth? What can I do to lift this curse?  Join us for a legendary trip through the seventh Haunted Landscape, our day of expert talks on British ghosts, magic, and folklore. Photo by Henrik L. on Unsplash The Haunted Landscape: Ghosts, Magic and Lore 22 November 2025 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 Tube: Holborn London Fortean Email List Age Recommendation: All ages. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult. Photo by AJO JOSE on Unsplash Going to the Haunted Landscape, online and at Conway Hall, next Saturday? Or planning to? It'll be a deep, dark dive into British folklore with some fine speakers.  Here is the schedule for the day:  10:00 Intro  1...