Take a stroll with us down the cobbled streets of Carnaby. Home to our elegant London store, with its vibrant boutiques and trendy crowds, the area hides beneath its surface a far more sinister past…
Stop #1: Dufour’s Place
Hearing voices? It might not just be in your head...
Less than a five-minute walk from the MÜHLE London store, Dufour’s Place was once ominously known as Pesthouse Close. Dating back to the 1600s, Pesthouses were grim quarantine zones for victims of the plague, where the infected were treated—or more often, left to die. As the Great Plague of 1665 ravaged London, Pesthouse Close became one of the city’s largest plague pits, covering half a square mile from Broadwick Street to Poland Street, and from Marshall Street to Carnaby Street.
With over 4,000 bodies buried beneath these streets, the dead were stacked in massive pits—six feet wide, fifty feet long, and fifteen feet deep—with layers of quicklime in between to hasten decomposition.
Stop #2: Kingly Court
Just down Carnaby Street, you’ll arrive at the lively Kingly Court, where the buzz of restaurants and cafés masks a haunting presence. Some visitors have reported seeing a ghostly figure dressed in 18th-century clothing, pacing back and forth or wandering in circles. The identity of this apparition remains a mystery, but he is often spotted stroking his chin, as if lost in thought, and sometimes whistling a haunting, tuneless melody. As you enjoy your meal, keep an eye on the shadows—who knows when he might make an appearance?
Stop #3: John Snow Pub, Broadwick Street
After your eerie encounter at Kingly Court, cross over to Broadwick Street and stop by the John Snow Pub, named after the man who revolutionized public health. In 1854, during a devastating cholera outbreak, Dr. John Snow discovered that the disease was spread through contaminated water. The pub stands close to the site of the infamous water pump, believed to be the source of the outbreak that claimed over 500 lives in a single month.
But the pub holds more than just history. Some visitors have reported seeing a shadowy figure seated in the far corner of the bar, his bloodshot eyes fixed on some distant memory, his face etched with pain. No one knows who this spectral figure might be—perhaps you'll be the one to uncover his identity?
Stop #4: London Palladium, Argyll Street
Start your journey at Oxford Circus and wander down Argyll Street to the iconic London Palladium. While the theatre is renowned for its grand performances, there’s another, more elusive performer said to haunt its halls. The figure of a woman in a yellow crinoline dress has been seen gliding up and down the Palladium’s Crimson Staircase, located at the rear of the Royal Circle. Many believe her to be the ghost of Miss Helen Campbell, a former resident of nearby Argyll House. As you approach the theatre, take a moment to pause—perhaps you’ll catch a glimpse of this graceful but tragic figure.
Above: MÜHLE Store, Carnaby, London