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    Mapping Our Top 10 Scariest Places In London

    Mapping Our Top 10 Scariest Places In London

    We love maps. We love Halloween. And we love London.

    So what better way to get into the spirit of Halloween this year than by mapping our top 10 spookiest places in London. Those of a nervous disposition can look away now...

     

    And in no particular order:

    #1 The Ten Bells

    The Ten Bells

    Image source: Wikimedia Commons

    In the late 1990's live in staff whose bedrooms were on the upper floors of the Pub, were complaining of alarming encounters with the ghost of an old man dressed in Victorian clothing. Staff reported that they would often be awoken in the early hours of the morning, to find the phantom form of the old man lying beside them on the bed! As soon as they would cry out in shock the ghostly figure would vanish. Staff with no previous knowledge of his ghost would often report seeing him, and their descriptions would always be the same.

    A tenant who lived on the premises in 2001 would often hear phantom footsteps followed by the faint sound of laughter outside his door, when he was the only person on the premises. When going down the stairs to the bar he would often be pushed hard on the back by invisible hands, several times this resulted in him ending up in a heap at the bottom of the stairs.

    A psychic was brought to the pub to see what she could pick up at the premises. Upon reaching the top floor, she paused outside one of the rooms and refused to go any further. She said that she could sense that something terrible had happened in the room and was almost certain that it involved the brutal death of a baby in the 19th century.

    Lindsay Siviter, a leading researcher and expert on the Jack the Ripper Crimes, was being shown around the pub a few years later and had been allowed access to the roof space. She noticed some material embedded in the floor behind the water tank and pulling at it found it was a sack tied at the top. Opening it she found it contained a moldy set of Victorian baby clothes that appeared to have been slashed with a knife. Intriguingly the tank was directly over the room that the psychic had refused to enter.

    Source: ghost-story.co.uk


    #2 Greenwich Foot Tunnel

    Greenwich Foot Tunnel

    Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

    Those visiting the tunnel from Cutty Sark Gardens experience echoes and an unsettling time as they walk the 370 metres of tunnel. Although they are no resident ghosts, many visitors say they feel a strong presence and the feeling of being followed until reaching the other side.

    Source: wegoplaces


    #3 Bleeding Heart Yard

    Bleeding Heart Yard

    Image Source: Wikipedia

    This small square of Bleeding Heart Yard in Farringdon has a horrific history. Legend has it that on January 27 1626 the mutilated body of society beauty Lady Elizabeth Hatton was found in the cobbled courtyard. She had been murdered “torn limb for limb, but her heart still pumping blood.”

    Source: Timeout


    #4 City of London Cemetery & Crematorium

    City Of London Cemetery

    Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

    Since the mid 1970's locals have complainted about a brilliant orange light emanating from one of the tombstones in the western section of the City of London Cemetery in Wanstead. Despite repeated attempts, investigators have been unable to find any light source outside the graveyard that could account for the phenomenon.

    Source: TimeOut


    #5 The Flask

    The Flask Highgate

    Image Source: The Flask

    Every good historic pub should have a haunting or two, and The Flask is no exception. You might run into the ghost of a Spanish barmaid who hanged herself in the pub's cellar (now a seating area), over an unrequited love for the publican. Look out also for a chap in Cavalier uniform occasionally seen crossing the room in the main bar and vanishing into a pillar. And while he doesn't haunt the pub (as far as we know) Dick Turpin is reputed to have spent some time in the wine store while on the run from the authorities.

    On to slightly more grisly territory, and the pub's Committee Room was allegedly the scene of one of the first-ever autopsies, secretly performed during the days of graverobbing with a fresh body from Highgate Cemetery.

    Source: The Flask


    #6 The Spaniards

    The Spaniards Inn

    Image Source: The Spaniards Inn

    The building was transformed into an inn by Francesco and Juan Porero who fought a duel over a woman. As a result, Juan was killed and buried in the garden. His ghost is said to haunt the inn.

    There are also reports of a ghostly man figure often seen outside the road of the inn and thought to be Dick Turpin. There is also a lady in white often seen in the pub garden, who is thought to be one of Turpin’s victims. Many pub goers have also reported a strange hand clutching to their clothes from an invisible source.

    Source: wegoplaces


    #7 The Old Queens Head

    The Old Queens Head

    Image Source: The Old Queens Head

    The Old Queen’s Head is said to be haunted by a woman and a young girl. The girl has apparently been heard running in the pub when t was supposed to be empty and the pubs website says she has been running ahead of people up the stairs. There are also reports of hearing her crying and the slamming of doors. Some sources cite that the woman and young girl are dressed in Tudor clothing and that it is more likely to happen on the first Sunday of the month.

    The paranormal investigator and author Jack Hallam interviewed a former landlord of The Old Queen’s Head named Arthur Potter, (an account of this appeared in the Haunted Pub Guide by Guy Lyon Playfair) ‘His wife and daughter were already getting used to hearing the patter of footsteps, like those of a small child, usually late in the afternoon. They thought it must be a little girl, since the ‘swish and rustle’ of a long dress could also be heard. Early one morning Potter found the staircase light switch out of order and had to grope his way down in the dark. On the way he suddenly felt ‘this body, this thing’ coming up against him. He pushed whatever it was aside and tore down the rest of the stairs to the nearest light-switch. Not surprisingly, he was unable to give a very clear description of ‘this thing’

    Source: Mysterious Britain 


    #8 Bethnal Green Tube Station

    Bethnal Green Tube Station

    Image Source: The Haunted Palace

    During World War II, Bethnal Green Tube station was one of the stations used for shelter when air raids were being carried out. On the evening of March 3rd 1943 an explosion was heard and rockets were sent into the nightcausing mass panic. In the rush to get to the shelter, 173 people were killed and most of them died of asphyxiation. There were 27 men, 84 women, and 62 children that died that night.

    The tragedy left its permanent mark on the station. A very famous story is of one man who was working in the station and was getting ready to call it a night. The last train had departed and all the staff had gone home, apart from him. He secured the station, turned off the lights and went back to his office to finish off some paperwork.

    He had not been back in the office very long before he started hearing children sobbing. At first he shrugged it off and carried on working, but the crying grew louder and louder. After that he heard female voices and screams, as well as noises which he could not identify. He described the sound as similar to people who are panicking. The sounds lasted for 10-15 minutes and he was so frightened that he ran out of the office and rushed to the top of the booking hallway to get away from it.

    The same sounds have been heard by staff at night on many occasions.

    Source: Haunted Rooms


    #9 Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

     Theatre Royal Drury Lane

    Image Source: Wikipedia

    The ghost is often referred to as the Man in Grey and is generally seen in the auditorium during daylight hours. Apart from having a sword he is described as wearing a cloak, powered wig and a tricorn hat. See the figure is considered to be a lucky omen for actors about to perform as it is meant to ensure great success.

    The Man in Grey tends to be linked to a skeleton that was found by workmen doing renovations. Sources differ as too when these took place, covering a time period from the1970's to the mid 1800's. The skeleton was wearing the remains of a riding coat and in his chest was a knife. It is believed that this person was killed in the 1700's.

    The ghost of the comedian Dan Leno (George Wild Galvin 1860-1904) was seen by Stanley Lupino (1893-1942). He was in his dressing room after being on stage and heard some curtains being drawn back. When he looked in the mirror he saw his own face and that of Dan Leno. Stanley and a caretaker were the only people in the theatre at that time and the dressing room had been a favorite of Mr Leno. Dan Leno is buried in Lambeth cemetery.

    Source: Mysterious Britain


    #10 Highgate Cemetery

    Highgate Cemetery

    Image Source: Wikipedia

    Besides having such famous people buried there as Karl Marx, Douglas Adams, and the parents of Charles Dickens, Highgate Cemetery has long been known for its ghosts, sinister activities, and other strangeness, including:

    • The Highgate Vampire, who is not really a vampire in the classic sense, but a phantom that is described as a 7-foot-tall, dark male figure with piercing, hypnotic eyes and wearing a long black coat and high top hat; he seems to vanish into thin air. There have been several dozen sightings and encounters since the late 1960s.
    • A man whose car broke down near the cemetery came face to face with a ghoul with glowimg red eyes that peered at him through the graveyard's iron gates.
    • The ghost of an insane old woman has been seen racing among the gravestones, her gray hair flowing behind her as she searches for her children, whom she allegedly murdered.
    • A dark shrouded figure has been see standing stock still and staring into space. When it is approached, it vanishes then reappears a short distance away, still staring into the void.
    • A businessman was terrified by a phantom that jumped over the fence and landed right in front of him. He described it as having pointed ears, glowing eyes, and large nose. This might have been the infamous Spring-Heeled Jack.
    • The floating ghost of a nun has been seen passing over the graves.

    Source: Paranormal About.com


    If you have been to any of these places, or want to add your own, just leave a message below. In the meantime, enjoy Halloween and stay safe!

    Postcode Update September 2016

    Postcode Update September 2016

    Postcode Update September 2016

    The Postcode system is a continually evolving structure.

    As towns are redeveloped, housing stock introduced and business centres established; Postcodes are created to accommodate new addresses or changed to keep the postal system as efficient as possible.

    These changes can have significant impact on organisations who rely on Postcode related information as part of their business operations whether it is capturing correct customer addresses, planning marketing and PR campaigns or managing sales territories.

    Keeping Postcode information up to date is therefore essential for many businesses which is why we source and apply the latest Postcode and Government information updates to all of our data and map products every 3 months.

    For the latest September 2016 update, we wanted to quantify how many changes have occurred and also see if there are any geographical patterns in where the changes are happening.


    Postcode Changes In Numbers

    Following the September 2016 update, there are now 1,759,280 current Postcodes in use across the United Kingdom.

    • Since the previous update in June, there have been 4,406 new Postcodes introduced to, and 3,141 Postcodes retired from, the UK Postcode system.
    • The Postcode Area with the highest number of new Postcodes in the last 3 months is B (Birmingham) with 102 new Postcodes.
    • The Postcode Area with the highest number of Postcodes being retired in the previous 3 months is M (Manchester) with 124 retired Postcodes.

    These last two facts are not surprising given the volumes of residential and commercial properties in these two areas. In fact Birmingham has more households than any other Postcode Area in the UK including BT, which is the Postcode Area for Northern Ireland!

    You can download a spread sheet listing the number of Postcode changes by Postcode Area by clicking here >


    Postcode Changes Mapped Out

    Out of curiosity, we wanted to visualize where most of the changes occurred and mapped out the number of new Postcodes and retired Postcodes by Postcode Area across the UK. This is how the changes are distributed across the UK:

    New Postcodes By Postcode Area

    Fig 1. The Volume Of New Postcodes By Postcode Area

    Retired Postcodes By Postcode Area

    Fig 1. The Volume Of Retired Postcodes By Postcode Area

    Interestingly, there appears to be a higher volume of new Postcodes in the last 3 months in the Midlands area than the South East but a higher proportion of retired Postcodes in the North (especially Manchester).

    For the next update we are also planning to look at the percentage of Postcodes created or retired in each Area.


    How Does This Affect Postcode Products?

    Changes to Postcodes have a direct impact on a whole range of Postcode based products which must be updated to reflect the ever-changing Postcode landscape. Here are some examples of how Postcode changes may affect you:

    If you use Postcodes for Business Analysis

    Look up tables which relate Postcodes to other information such as Parliamentary Constituencies, Local Authority Information, Grid References must all be updated to ensure the analysis of Postcode related records and information is accurate and up to date.

    In addition to updating the Postcodes themselves, we also take the opportunity to update all the related information such as MP names, Ward names and so on to ensure these references are also current.

    If you use Postcodes for Address Management

    Sometimes existing Postcodes do change for households and people move in to new build homes with brand new addresses and Postcodes. Companies providing services or delivering products to these homes need to ensure their systems are up to date to capture and update these new addresses.

    Our Royal Mail PAF databases are therefore all updated to reflect the latest Postcode changes and help companies keep their customer data accurate and up to date.

    If you use Postcodes for mapping Sales Territories or Franchise Areas

    Changes to the Postcode system can also impact the Postcode boundaries themselves which are widely used in GIS and mapping software such as MapInfo, ESRI and Intergraph products for a range of business tasks including mapping sales territories and planning franchise areas.

    New Postcodes can change the Postcode structure geographically and we meticulously review these changes to ensure all our digital Postcode boundary files reflect these latest changes.

    The next Postcode update is expected to take place in December 2016 but if you have any questions on the latest Postcode changes and how they may affect you please contact us.

    MapSpace To Be Replaced By AlignMix

    When we introduced MapSpace in early 2014 our intention was to build a cost effective and easy to use territory and customer mapping system that would meet the needs of small to medium sized businesses.

    We also intended to keep developing the functionality of the system based on customer feedback and technological advances.

    Earlier this year, we were asked to partner with a US software specialist called Cozmix to represent their software, AlignMix, in the UK.



    We love AlignMix!

    It provides the features we hoped to add to MapSpace but also has features we hadn't dreamed about. Not only that but there is a free version which effectively does what MapSpace currently does and a cost effective Professional version with a host of great analysis features.

    So it is with a little regret that we will be discontinuing the MapSpace system on 30th November 2016 to focus on the support of AlignMix in the UK.

    What Does This Mean For MapSpace Customers?

    If you are a user of the Free version of MapSpace, there is nothing to do. You can simply head straight over to the Standard AlignMix product page and download the software for free today and start mapping. You will find that the free version of AlignMix offers you many more functions already than the MapSpace equivalent.

    If you have a paid subscription for MapSpace, there are a couple of additional steps required:

    1. Ensure you have exported your territory and customer data from MapSpace

    2. Cancel your subscription payment in your PayPal account - remember, we cannot cancel your payment for you. If you are in any doubt please let us know.

    3. Go to the AlignMix Standard product page and download the latest AlignMix software.

    Please ensure the above is done before 30th November 2016 as the MapSpace system will be unavailable after that date.

    AlignMix Information

    If you would like to know more about AlignMix there is a whole host of information available online to introduce you to this exciting new product:

    1. Read the AlignMix product overview with customer testimonials
    2. View the UK Launch Webinar on YouTube
    3. View the How To Videos

    And of course, if you have any questions just let us know directly by using the contact form.

    New 2011 Census Data Counts

    New 2011 Census Data Counts

    New Census Data Counts

    We are delighted to announce that we have now released our own census counts which are available in Excel Spread sheet format and at various levels of geography including Postcode Sector/ District and Output Area level for the entire United Kingdom.

    We have also made Postcode Sector level census counts available for selected Postcode Areas to help small local businesses plan more effectively without the cost of the national data files.

    What Is The Census?

    A national census of households is conducted every ten years to provide a complete picture of the nation. It allows us to compare people across different areas of the United Kingdom because the same questions are asked in the same way throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

    This census information provides information that government needs to develop policies, plan and run public services, and allocate funding.

    Why Use Census Counts?

    Census Data Mapped by Postcode Sector

    Raw census information at an individual household level is not publicly available in order to protect individuals' privacy and anonymity under data protection laws. However, the information can be used to release counts of types of people and households at various levels of geographic area helping to paint a picture of people in areas across the country.

     Typical uses for census counts are:

    • Locating your ideal customers/ audience.
    • Calculating the size of your potential market and, as a result, your sales potential.
    • Targeting advertising and marketing activity to appropriate audiences.
    • Estimating leaflet volumes for Door to Door campaigns.
    • Assessing retail catchment area potential
    • Balancing sales territories by sales potential and establishing appropriate sales targets.
    • Sizing balanced and equitable franchise areas 

    What Information Does the Census Provide?

    We have collated the most popular census counts for business use resulting in 183 individual census variables across 16 themes including:
    • Age Structure
    • Car or van availability
    • Communal establishment residents
    • Dwellings, household spaces and accommodation type
    • Economic activity
    • Ethnic group
    • Health and provision of unpaid care
    • Household composition
    • Industry
    • Lone parent households with dependent children
    • Marital and civil partnership status
    • NS-SeC
    • Occupation
    • Qualifications and students
    • Tenure
    • Usual resident population

    Download a full field list here >

    How Do I Use It?

    You can load the Excel spreadsheet of census counts into your own spread sheet, database package or even Geographic Information System (GIS) for analysis and mapping.

    Or alternatively you can use the spread sheet in Excel alongside a simple wall map to understand local areas better. For example, the following image shows the area covered by two Postcode Sectors on the outskirts of Leicester: LE5 4 and LE5 2.

    Leicester Map Of Census Counts

     Census counts helps us understand what kind of people live in these areas. For example, if we look up these two Sectors in our census data we find the following:

    LE Census records

    Immediately we can see that LE5 4 has a slightly higher population and number of households; but with 183 census fields provided for every Postcode Sector we can make quite detailed comparisons between areas. For example:

    1. There are twice as many people in LE5 4 working in Manufacturing than in LE5 2 but twice as many people in LE5 2 work in Construction.
    2. There are 65% more detached houses in LE5 2 than LE5 4 but 8 x as many flats in LE5 4.
    3. LE5 2 has a higher proportion of retired residents and fewer children/ young families than LE5 4.
    4. And so on.

    So if you know the kinds of people or households you need to promote your products to or offer services to, census data can help find those areas where you will be most successful or most needed.

    We will look at ways of manipulating Census counts to make comparisons easier in future bog posts.

    What Geographic Areas Are Counts Available For?

    Our census counts are available for the entire United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) at various geographic levels including:
    • Over 230,000 Output Areas averaging 119 households per Output Area (Download Sample)
    • Over 9,000 Postcode Sectors averaging 2,990 households per Postcode Sector (Download Sample)
    • Over 2,700 Postcode Districts averaging 9,910 households per Postcode District (Download Sample)
    • Other geographies available upon request.

    The counts are also available at Postcode Sector level for individual UK Postcode Areas >

    To find out more or if you have any questions about census counts then please let us know >

    December 2015 Postcode Changes

    The documents linked to below detail the latest December 2015 Postcode changes and address statistics for reference.

    Business & Vacant Organisations

    This table shows the number of businesses and vacant organisations on the Royal Mail address database, the Postcode Address File (PAF®). The table compares December figures with those from November, identifying the percentage variation between the months. Download >

    PAF® Delivery Point Changes

    This document shows the number of delivery point additions, deletions and changes in December and the reasons for the change. Download >

    New Sectors & Localities

    This table shows the sectors and localities applied to the Postcode Address File (PAF®) system in December. Download >

    Overall PAF Statistics and Changes

    This table shows the total numbers of, and number of changes to, Postcodes, localities, Post Towns, delivery points and other PAF elements as of December 2015. Download >