If you've got to spend the rest of eternity as a wandering shade anywhere, there's worse places to do it than down the local pub, especially if it's where you spent most of your time alive anyway.

This could explain why so many pubs across west London and further afield are so densely packed with ghosts, ghouls and more hangers-on from the other side.

Alternatively, there might be something about gathering a large group of people late at night and plying them with alcohol that tends to encourage glimpses of the afterlife.

Whatever you believe, we at getwestlondon are determined to find you a haunted spot to have a drink this evening, whichever part of London you find yourself in.

West London

Leafy west London, historically home to what was known as the Queen of the Suburbs, can unsurprisingly lay claim to the most genteel collection of ghosts.

With one notable exception, west London is haunted by professional men, the well-dressed and the pious.

A great place to go for a more sophisticated spectral visit - no tawdry chain-rattling here!

The Grenadier

18 Wilton Row, Belgravia, SW1X 7NR

020 7235 3074

Head to Hyde Park roundabout to find this stylish pub from 1720, named for the Grenadier Guards or First Royal Regiment of Foot Guards that it housed.

It earned its grisly reputation after a young soldier, affectionately known as Cedric by pub patrons, was caught cheating at cards by his peers and beaten so hard that he died.

Despite bank notes pinned to the ceiling in an attempt to pay back his misbegotten winnings, Cedric still haunts the pub to this day, moving objects, creating icy chills, and stomping around and moaning down in the cellar where he died.

It is said a chief superintendent from Scotland Yard was once drinking in the pub when he noticed smoke wafting around him. When he waved his hand through the smoke, he was burned, as if by an invisible cigarette.

The Volunteer

245-247 Baker St, Marylebone, NW1 6XE

020 7486 4091

This Baker Street pub, not far from Regent's Park, acted as a recruiting station during World War II. While you might think it's therefore haunted by the ghosts of soldiers who regretted the decision to enlist, the pub actually houses a far older, richer ghost.

The Volunteer was built on the site of a large 17th century house, belonging to the illustrious Neville family, which burned down in 1654 with the entire family inside.

What many believe is the former head of the house, Rupert Neville, can now be seen or heard wandering around in the cellar, which is believed to be the original house's cellar and the only thing - other than Rupert's spirit - to have survived the blaze.

Other than parading about in his surcoat and breeches, Rupert also has a talent for turning the lights on and off, which is impressive for a ghost that died hundreds of years before electric lights were invented.

The George

213 Strand, Temple, WC2R 1AP

020 7353 9638

For a ghostly soldier a little closer to the centre of London, head to the basement of The George, just opposite the Royal Courts of Justice.

Though you might notice the current building, which dates back to the 1930s, doesn't look quite old enough to be haunted, the foundation is far older and haunted by an unknown cavalier soldier.

The ghost was most famously spotted by painters and decorators doing refurbishment work in the 70s.

One decorator fled to tell the landlord after seeing the ghost, who replied that they needn't worry because his wife saw him "all the time".

The Coach and Horses

29 Greek St, Soho, W1D 5DH

020 7437 5920

Meat-free Soho pub The Coach and Horses has a spooky history dating all the way back to the 18th century, meaning it has been scaring patrons longer than most of the other pubs on this list have been standing.

Customers noticed a coach drive up to the pub filled with people and pulled by four horses. However, there was something a little off about the driver.

When he got near, the horrified witnesses noticed that he was driving without a head and that his passengers were glaring at them with grisly, skull-like faces.

Historical accounts say nothing on whether or not they stopped for a drink.

Hoop & Toy

34 Thurloe Place, Kensington, SW7 2HQ

020 7589 8360

Charmingly named Hoop & Toy is the oldest pub in the Kensington area, having been built in 1760.

Whoever constructed it, though, committed the rookie error of building on a former grave site, thus condemning it to hauntings for the rest of time.

Luckily, the underground works only managed to disturb the eternal rest of dead priests, trapping their presumably quite mild spirits in the pub forever.

They have been spotted wandering around the pub, trying to find their old place of worship.

The Marlborough Head

24 N Audley St, Mayfair, W1K 6WD

020 7629 5981

If you're not content to drink amongst the mild-mannered and genteel dead, however, west London still has something to offer you.

Thousands of criminals were killed in public executions at The Marlborough Head between the 12th and 18th century, meaning that statistically it has to be haunted by at the very least a handful of vengeful ghosts.

While watching a convict die at your local might seem traumatic now, the spectacles were once a fun day out for the people of London, drawing large crowds.

Now a wide range of convict ghosts are said to haunts the premises.

North London

If you're tired of seeing women underrepresented in the afterlife then north London's haunted pubs are the place for you.

Three out of four of these historic pubs boasts a lady ghost. Always nice to know that progress is being made in at least one field.

North London can also lay claim to by far the most household-famous ghosts, with at least two noted criminals in its ranks.

The Old Queen's Head

44 Essex Rd, Islington, N1 8LN

020 7354 9993

Despite being well known as Sir Water Raleigh's old local, this pub unfortunately cannot claim to be the final resting place of his eternal soul.

Instead patrons have been visited over the years by a mother and daughter duo, thought to be from the Tudor era judging by their clothes.

The pair are believed to be murder victims and there are reports of her daughters crying and slamming doors in the pub.

Halloween is the wrong day to try to spot her mother however. She makes regular appearances - but only on the first Sunday of the month.

Spaniards Inn

Spaniards Rd, Hampstead, NW3 7JJ

020 8731 8406

The former coaching inn nestled at the foot of Hampstead Heath was a favourite of the Romantic writers in the late 18th and early 19th century, making it automatically a little bit gothic.

Unsurprisingly, it boasts a whole cast of ghosts, including one almost iconic figure.

In addition to a Spaniard who lost his life in a duel over love and a woman in white who likes to hang out in the beer garden, at the Spaniards Inn you have a a chance to spot the ghost of highwayman Dick Turpin.

Said to skulk about in the street out front and bang about in the upstairs rooms of his former favourite pub, Dick Turpin also left his faithful horse, Black Bess, to wait for him in the car park, occasionally terrifying people with spectral neighs and galloping noises.

The Flask

77 Highgate W Hill, Highgate, N6 6BU

020 8348 7346

One of London’s oldest pubs also has one of its most tragic tales of ghostly woe.

The ghost of The Flask, a Spanish barmaid, hung herself in the pub's cellar, having found that her lover, the former pub owner, was unfaithful to her.

A hard worker even in death, this barmaid has been known to create reflections that shouldn't be there, move glasses, blow down the back of customers' necks and sway the lights.

Since few haunted pubs are complete without a cavalier soldier to call their own, you can also sometimes spot a man in uniform, as well as Dick Turpin, whenever he's not at the Spaniards Inn.

The Old Bull & Bush

N End Way, Hampstead, NW3 7HE

020 8905 5456

Originally a 17th century farmhouse before it gained a liquor license in 1721, this pub has been known as a hotspot for the afterlife for centuries.

A shrouded Victorian-looking figure has been spotted moving across the bar area, accompanied by strange bangs and bumps.

One possible cause was discovered during an 80s refurbishment. A cellar wall was knocked down to reveal a skeleton surrounded by Victoria surgical equipment, though claims that this is the skeleton of Jack the Ripper are so far unsubstantiated.

The skeleton was given a proper burial but the haunting has persisted anyway, which just goes to show the ingratitude of some people.

East London

East London hasn't always been associated with hipsters and artists. Back in the 19th century, it was the hub of criminal activity and bad behaviour in London.

Accordingly, East London is the best place to go for some genuinely terrifying ghosts - no monks here!

One pub on this part of the list also lays claim to the only ghost with a sense of humour, albeit a slightly immature one.

The Rising Sun

38 Cloth Fair, EC1A 7JQ

020 7726 6671

This pub near St Bartholomew's Hospital is said to be the home base of a band of 19th century body snatchers, which is about as good a probable cause for haunting as you will get.

The story goes that the gang would drug innocent punters and murder them in order to sell their parts to the hospital for medical research.

A little affronted, some of their victims appear to have stuck around to make their feelings known.

Two barmaids living above the pub in 1989 claim they were frequently woken by a figure at the end of their bed who would slowly pull the duvet off them, whereas a year later a landlady said she felt a cold hand on her back while in the shower.

The Ten Bells

84 Commercial St, E1 6LY

020 7247 7532

This Spitalfields pub has the dubious honour of having scared off actual mediums, presumably a little more used to the paranormal than most, meaning it's not one for the faint-hearted.

For some years the pub was known as The Jack The Ripper due to its links to two of his victims, neither of whom are said to have graced it with their spectral presence, until the Reclaim the Night campaign argued the name was offensive.

However, a former Victoria landlord, murdered with an ax, is said to have stayed on to terrorise staff living on the pub's upper floors.

A psychic called in to assess the ghostly activity in the building is said to have refused to enter one room, saying only that a 19th-century baby had died there.

Years later, a researcher touring the pub found a sack with mouldy Victoria-era baby clothes hidden behind the water tank, which looked like they had been cut with a knife.

Viaduct Tavern

126 Newgate St, EC1A 7AA

020 7600 1863

This Victorian former gin palace near the Old Bailey occupies the site of a former jail, a guaranteed way of securing at least one ghost for your business.

Once kept in cells beneath the pub, vengeful prisoners have been giving its staff bother for over a decade.

The pub's former manager claims he was trapped in the cellar in the dark after a ghostly hand slammed the door shut and couldn't escape until his wife came to free him.

Two electricians working in the upstairs rooms in 1999, meanwhile, claim they had just rolled up a carpet to get at the floorboards when something tapped them on the shoulder, picked the carpet up and then thumped it heavily back on the floor.

The Sutton Arms

6 Carthusian St, EC1M 6EB

020 7253 0723

The Sutton Arms, located near the Barbican, is haunted by a very friendly, ginger ghost named Charlie, fond of skulking in corners.

Charlie's party trick consists of flashing a cheeky smile at patrons of the pub before disappearing into thin air.

Unlikely to raise the hairs on the back of your neck and by far the least annoying strange man to approach you in any pub tonight, Charlie might not be the scariest ghost in London but he is our personal favourite.

The Bow Bells

116 Bow Rd, E3 3AA

020 8980 0744

For the most eccentric ghost in London, look no further than this East End pub, haunted by a phantom flusher.

This ghost likes to pass its time in the afterlife flushing toilets in the ladies' loos while people are sitting on them and is otherwise harmless.

However, it showed its temper back in 1974, when the then-landlord attempt to exorcise the building using a seance.

At the very moment the spirit was asked to reveal itself, the door of the women's toilet swung open so hard it smashed a pane of glass.

South London

For the nervous souls, who find Halloween their least favourite time of year, south London is the perfect place to take refuge tonight.

While we can't claim to say for sure that no south London ghosts have ever stopped in for a quick pint, no pub in the area is well-known for its ghostly inhabitants.

This makes it the perfect place to go this evening if you'd rather just be allowed to drink in peace.