Paranormal record / 1934

The Ladbroke Grove Phantom Bus

June 11, 1934 · Junction of St Mark's Road and Cambridge Gardens, North Kensington, London W10, United Kingdom

18Thinly documented Paranormal Other 20 sources

North Kensington, London. A blind bend where St Mark's Road meets Cambridge Gardens. In the small hours of 11 June 1934, so the story goes, a car left the road there and burst into flames. At the inquest, a witness spoke of a No. 7 double-decker heading straight at it. Then the stories came. Motorists described a bus tearing towards them, both decks blazing with light. No driver. No passengers. They swerved. They looked back. Nothing. The reports ran until the council widened the corner in 1935. Then they stopped.

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Key facts

When	June 11, 1934 to 1935
Time of day	about 1:15 a.m.
Where	Junction of St Mark's Road and Cambridge Gardens, North Kensington, London W10,United Kingdom
Duration	seconds per sighting; reports over the weeks after the June 1934 inquest, ending after the 1935 road widening
Witnesses	3
Witness roles	civilians
Found	testimony only
Evidence	none confirmed
Investigations	Coroner's inquest into the death of Ian Beaton, June 1934
Status	undisputed

The phenomenon

A brilliantly lit double-decker bus with neither driver nor passengers. It was said to careen toward the corner of Cambridge Gardens and St Mark's Road, then vanish. Another second-hand account placed a bus by a nearby garage before it disappeared.

Sound	roar
Motion	high speed

Context

North Kensington, London. Just west of Ladbroke Grove station, St Mark's Road meets Cambridge Gardens. In the 1930s it was a blind bend with poor visibility. It had caused accidents before.

Sources (20, most influential first)

The Ghost Bus of Kensington · MJ Wayland · Wiki, blog, podcast · blog
The Phantom Bus of North Kensington · The Underground Map · Wiki, blog, podcast · blog
London's Phantom Double-Decker Bus · Londonist· 2016-10 · Press, book, documentary · news
The Ghost Bus of Ladbroke Grove · Spooky Isles · Wiki, blog, podcast · blog
The Phantom London Bus: Unravelling an Urban Legend · Spooky Isles · Wiki, blog, podcast · blog

Reputability

18/100Thinly documented

Editorial note: most sources for this case are later retellings; the press and book coverage is thin.

Keywords

official investigation no sound at night hoax debris disappeared newspaper coverage car encounter bright lights daylight loud noise multiple objects

People

Ian BeatonDriver, 25, killed in the June 1934 crash at the junction
Frederick RobinsonInquest witness from Chesterton Road during whose questioning the ghost bus came up (detail unconfirmed)
T. H. HennWrote to the Daily Telegraph in 1934, passing on a daylight sighting
Dr A. K. GibsonWrote to the Daily Telegraph in 1934, passing on the garage sighting
MJ WaylandResearcher who traced the case through newspaper archives
Jonathon MilesHistorian, author of Debunking the Legend of the Phantom London Bus (2024)
Harry LudlamGhost book author credited with the 'hundreds of witnesses' framing

Names

Daily Telegraph