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24th October 2023
03:03pm BST
In partnership with Greene King
Spooky season is upon us, as the leaves begin to crack under our feet, and we teeter towards a cold winter.
And as the weather makes us shiver, what better time to remind ourselves of some chilling tales with an even chillier pint.
From headless horsemen to fallen soldiers, some of Britain's most loved pubs have terrifying tales within their withered walls, and here we've provided a list of some of the spookiest, the eeriest, and the most unexplainable tavern ghouls, to really get you in the spirit for the 31st.
The Eagle, Cambridge
The Eagle is a landmark in Cambridge with its ceiling of airmen's signatures which were burned into the roof during WWII. However these aren't the only reminder of the past world which lurks within The Eagle's walls. In fact, the ghosts that haunt The Eagle come from a time long before WWII even began. You see, it is now written into the building's lease that the window above the beer garden in The Eagle must remain open at all times. Why? Because in the 1600s a fire broke out on the same grounds where the pub now stands and three young children were unable to escape and sadly perished in the blaze. The open window is said to allow their tortured spirits to flee and enter the pub as they choose. But should you close the window, awful things are said to happen. One such account claims that if the window is ever shut again, everybody inside the pub will witness a tremendous feeling of suffocation.
Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem, Nottingham
Our next pub is Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem, an inn said to be England's oldest and Nottingham's most haunted. The inn, which dates back to 1189 is situated above a network of caves below Nottingham Castle and was given its name when King Richard the Lionheart and his men congregated there for a drink before embarking with the Crusades for Jerusalem. The inn is home to a haunted ship, known as The Cursed Galleon. The tiny wooden ship was once said to have been given to the pub as payment for a bar tab however it's rumoured that anybody who cleaned the small ship got sick and died soon thereafter, and so today, it remains uncleaned, shrouded in cobwebs and filth.
Ye Olde Starre Inne, York
Moving north across the peaks we find ourselves in the oldest and best loved pub in York, Ye Olde Starre Inne. The Starre, which dates back to at least 1644, is one of the best known pubs in the country due to its vastly documented paranormal activity. Lights in the pub have been seen flickering on and off, chairs have moved by themselves, and strange noises at night have kept many the landlord awake until the early hours of morning. Way back in the English Civil War, the cellar was looked after by Royalist troops where it served as a makeshift hospital and a morgue for the wounded, dying, and dead. From this cellar, many have reported hearing bloodcurdling screams echoing throughout the pub. But that's not all. Back in the First World War, a soldier who was about to be sent to the frontline wrote a letter to his sweetheart telling her he would meet her at ye Olde Starre Inne on his first night home however this soldier never returned from battle. Now, these two lovers have both been seen many times, roaming the bar, wandering in heartbreak, searching for one another, for all eternity to come.
Ye Olde Cock Tavern, London
Located on Fleet Street, London, Ye Olde Cock Tavern is around 500 years old and it home to the Goldsmith's Ghost. This spectre boasts a smiling dismembered head and is thought to be the apparition of Oliver Goldsmith, a local man who's buried just outside of the very pub itself.
The Coach and Horses, London
Just down the road from Oxford Circus and from Ye Olde Cock Tavern waits The Coach and Horses pub where a ghoulish coach is said to appear from time to time, dragged along by four white horses. The driver of the coach is said to be headless, and as the coach passes by, it's skeletal passengers look out of the windows in lifeless horror.
The Druids Head, Brighton
And now we venture even further south to Brighton where at the Druids Head there are said to be four ghosts wandering in wait. The building, which is 500 years old, became a pub in 1830, and throughout the passage of time, countless unexplainable encounters have took place on the pub's grounds. One ghost is said to be that of a man who died in the nearby tunnels. Other ghosts include two children and a woman. There has also been suspected poltergeist activity in the pub, with bottles and glasses flying across the bar, as well as mirrors suddenly misting over. On numerous occasions, a woman in red has been seen waiting at the bar to be served. Staff members claim to have spoken to the woman, however very quickly after, the woman vanishes into thin air.
So as we begin to celebrate Halloween 2023, if you fancy being amongst the ghostly goings on you can join Greene King's Haunted Walking Tour around some of London’s spookiest pubs.
Taking place throughout Halloween if you visit all five pubs on the trail you can receive a free drink.
Head to the Haunted Walking Tour page to get more info and book on for what is sure to be a spooky pint session indeed.
