Beneath the bustling streets of London, the shadowy network of the Tube is rumoured to be home to more than just trains. Among its most spine-tingling legends is the tale of an abandoned station, cursed artefacts, and a spectral Egyptian princess that continues to unsettle commuters to this day.
The Ghost of the Abandoned Station
The British Museum station on the Central line opened in 1900 and was operational until its closure in 1933. Its entrance now sits discreetly on High Holborn, occupied by a building society. However, folklore suggests that the station's proximity to the British Museum's collection of ancient Egyptian relics allowed something sinister to seep into its tunnels.
Passengers began reporting terrifying sightings of a wailing apparition, believed to be the spirit of an Egyptian princess named Amun-Ra. The spectre was described as clad in a loincloth and headdress, her screams echoing through the deep passages. After the station's closure, the ghastly figure was said to have relocated to the nearby Holborn station to continue haunting the line.
A Curse From the Museum to the Titanic
The legend intensified with reports of a physical object of power: a beautifully crafted coffin lid known as the 'Unlucky Mummy'. Though not a full mummy, the lid was intended for a high-status woman, possibly involved in rituals at the temple of Amun-Ra. It was gifted to the British Museum in July 1889 by Mrs Warwick Hunt on behalf of Mr Arthur F Wheeler.
Strange occurrences were linked to it. In April 1924, The Globe newspaper reported that visitors were falling ill after viewing the coffin lid at the museum. One man even complained of chest pains. Staff reportedly became so disturbed by its 'malevolent powers' that they hid the real artefact in the basement, displaying a replica instead.
The story takes an even darker turn. An American Egyptologist allegedly discovered the switch and purchased the real lid, shipping it to America... aboard the RMS Titanic. Some legends chillingly suggest the curse of Amun-Ra played a role in the doomed ship's sinking in 1912.
Fact Within the Fiction
While the ghostly tales are unproven, the 'Unlucky Mummy' coffin lid is very real. It has been on public display since the 1890s and can be seen today in Room 62 of the British Museum. The 1935 comedy thriller film Bulldog Jack played on these fears, depicting a secret tunnel from Holborn station to the Museum's Egyptian room. Eerily, on the film's premiere night, two women vanished from Holborn's platform, with strange markings found afterwards.
Whether you believe in curses or not, the enduring legend of the British Museum station serves as a reminder of London's layered history, where ancient artefacts and modern infrastructure collide. The next time your Central line train slows near Holborn, you might just think twice about the echoes in the tunnel.
