Cock Lane (Dickens-era site), London

Cock Lane, a name that has raised eyebrows and inspired ghost stories for centuries. Nestled in the heart of the City of London, this narrow street may sound cheeky, but its past is even cheekier. Back in the Middle Ages, it was known as Cokkes Lane-home to officially sanctioned brothels, the licensed love nests inside the legal district. By the 17th century, the focus shifted from pleasure to poultry, with cockfighting becoming the new crowd-puller, hence the name we still giggle at today.

But the street's real claim to fame came in 1762, when 25 Cock Lane became the stage for one of London’s most absurd paranormal hoaxes: the infamous Cock Lane Ghost. This so-called specter tapped on walls and moaned in all the wrong places, duping the public and making headlines. The farce was so famous, it became shorthand for any phony phantom tale thereafter.

Charles Dickens, who adored a good ghost story-thanks in part to his spooky nursemaid Mary Weller-couldn't resist. He name-drops the Cock Lane Ghost in Nicholas Nickleby, where the endlessly rambling Mrs. Nickleby claims her great-grandfather went to school with the said ghost. Dickens also slips in mentions in Dombey and Son and A Tale of Two Cities, where we meet Jerry Cruncher, the bank clerk who moonlights as a part-time grave robber. Classy.

Oh, and if you thought things couldn’t get any more dramatic-Cock Lane was also the point where the Great Fire of London finally burned itself out in 1666. The spot-at the intersection with Giltspur Street, formerly known as Pye Corner-is now marked by the delightfully plump Golden Boy of Pye Corner, who stares solemnly from his perch as if to say, “That’s enough, London. Put the matches down.”

So, whether you're into scandal, spirits, or smoldering ruins, Cock Lane delivers it all-with a wink.