It’s often taken for granted that refrigeration as we know it is only a few decades old. Not too long ago, having ice for your tea on a hot day was a luxury few could afford. Not too long before that, the concept of refrigeration was completely unknown.

One of the first people to propose the idea that food might stay fresh longer if kept cold was Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626). The politician, philosopher and writer (who also dabbled in scientific experiments) decided to put his theory to the test one winter morning in near Pond Square, in London. He and an associate bought a chicken; they slaughtered and plucked it before stuffing it with snow.

The fates have a twisted sense of humor — Bacon fell ill after romping around in the snow, reportedly catching pneumonia and being kept in a damp bed. He died April 9, 1626.

Since his death, there have been multiple reports of a ghostly apparition in Pond Square. But Sir Francis isn’t seen roaming the area, instead witnesses reported seen a phantom fowl — the ghost of the plucked, frozen chicken.

According to Haunted London:

Soon after these occurrences took place, there were reports that a semi-plucked chicken had been observed running in circles at the Pond and had also been seen in the lower branches of a nearby tree. When anyone approached, it vanished into thin air. It would be reasonable to assume that this was some April Fools Day story if the chicken hadn’t been seen in more recent times. During the Second World War, Air Raid Wardens often saw the fowl. One of them even tried to capture it. It vanished through a wall before he got anywhere near it. About the same time, someone was in Pond Square when they heard what sounded like an invisible coach and horses. The sound stopped and he saw the chicken, half its feathers gone, running around in circles. He was no more successful than the Air raid warden in getting catching the bird. The ghost was seen again in January 1969 and in 1970 it quite put the dampers on the romantic embrace a couple where having in a doorway close to the pond.

No sightings have been reported since the lovers’ interruption in 1970. Haunted London recommends dressing warmly if you plan to hunt down the bird, as the sightings have only happened during wintertime (and we know what happened to the last guy who handled the bird in the cold).

— Ian