Britain's pubs are full of spirits – and not just the drinkable kind. A new guide reveals the nation's spookiest watering holes, from a Kent inn known for phantom knights to a pub where a cursed bottle is said to have killed a landlord.
Haunted Hostelries Across the Country
The George Inn, near Canterbury, recently made headlines as it was put up for sale. The pub is known for its phantom knights and a spectral black dog. But it is just one of hundreds of haunted pubs across the UK, each with its own eerie tale.
From the King's Arms in Bedford, where an old man's figure lurks in the cellar, to the Ostrich Inn in Colnbrook, where a former landlord is said to have been a serial killer, the country is full of ghostly goings-on.
Regional Ghostly Legends
In Buckinghamshire, the Royal Standard of England in Penn has two Civil War ghosts – a drummer boy and a disappearing Cavalier. Cambridgeshire's Old Ferry Boat in St Ives is said to contain an unmarked grave of a girl who drowned herself and rises from the river on the anniversary of her death.
Cheshire's Pied Bull Pub in Chester is haunted by a 17th-century staff member, John Davies, who fell downstairs and accidentally stabbed himself. Cornwall's Jamaica Inn, set on lonely Bodmin Moor, is known for the clatter of hooves from phantom horses and a man in a tricorn hat who walks through doors.
In Cumbria, Kirkstone Pass Inn, England's second highest pub, hosts the ghosts of a young mother who froze to death and a mysterious floating grey lady. Derbyshire's Ye Olde Dolphin in Derby, dating back to 1530, is said to be haunted by a nurse who tended to plague victims.
From Pirates to Serial Killers
Devon's Pilchard Inn on Burgh Island is haunted by notorious pirate Tom Crocker, still searching for his lost treasure. Dorset's Smugglers Inn in Osmington Mills has strange entities wearing seafaring clothes, harking back to its smuggling past. Durham's Dun Cow is reputed to be haunted by 19th-century serial killer Mary Ann Cotton, with objects appearing to move by themselves in the bar.
Essex's Red Lion in Colchester is haunted by the ghost of Alice Katherine Miller, murdered at the inn in 1638. Gloucestershire's Black Bear Inn in Tewkesbury, dating to 1308, has a headless man in military uniform dragging chains. Hampshire's Eclipse Inn in Winchester has strange banging sounds and apparitions attributed to Lady Lisle, executed opposite in 1685.
Ghosts of the North and Beyond
Herefordshire's Queens Arms has an Anglo-Saxon warrior with a shield and spear. Hertfordshire's Brocket Arms in Welwyn, dating to the 14th century, has a monk walking around and a ghostly girl singing in the loos. Lancashire's Sun in Chipping is haunted by Lizzie Dean, a Victorian scullery maid who hanged herself in the attic.
Leicestershire's Belper Arms in Newton Burgoland is haunted by 'Five to Four Fred', named after the time he appears, often to pinch customers. Lincolnshire's Blue Bell Inn in Tattershall Thorpe has ghosts of former World War Two air crew. London's Grenadier in Belgravia has the ghost of a soldier nicknamed 'Cedric' who was beaten to death after cheating at cards.
Manchester's Ye Olde Man & Scythe in Bolton is believed to have at least 25 different spirits, from an executed Earl to a phantom dog. Merseyside's Ye Hole in Ye Wall in Liverpool, the city's oldest pub, is plagued by the spectre of a sailor wearing a long wax coat.
From Curses to Royal Ghosts
Norfolk's Adam & Eve in Norwich, dating to 1249, has a resident ghost dubbed 'Sam' who taps people on the shoulder and runs his fingers through their hair. Northamptonshire's Talbot in Oundle is haunted by Mary, Queen of Scots, who was executed nearby. Northumberland's Dirty Bottles in Alnwick has two bottles sealed between windows, said to be cursed after a former landlord dropped dead when he touched them.
Nottinghamshire's Ye Olde Salutation Inn in Nottingham, built over 9th-century caves, has the ghost of a girl called Rosie and three ex-landlords who throw things. Oxfordshire's Trout Inn in Wolvercote has a floating woman believed to be the restless spirit of Henry II's mistress, Rosamund, buried nearby. Rutland's Blue Bell Inn in Belmesthorpe has a hunched figure gliding towards a well.
Scotland's Drovers Inn at Loch Lomond is haunted by a drowned girl and a family frozen to death nearby. Shropshire's Nag's Head in Shrewsbury has a painting in a cupboard, said to be of the Devil, that curses customers who gaze on it. Somerset's George & Pilgrims in Glastonbury boasts a love-sick monk and a lady in white among 30 different ghosts.
Staffordshire's Dog & Partridge in Tutbury has a cheerful resident ghost called Gracie, often heard laughing, skipping and bouncing invisible balls. Suffolk's Nutshell in Bury St Edmunds, Britain's smallest pub, is said to be inhabited by the ghost of a boy, with visitors reporting being grabbed by unseen hands. Surrey's Punchbowl Inn in Dorking has an ex-landlord who bangs on pipes and a strange, bearded man wandering the rooms.
Sussex's Mermaid Inn in Rye has figures in historical dress perching at the end of guests' beds. Tyne & Wear's Marsden Grotto in South Shields has a smuggler locked in a cave, still trying to escape. Wales's Skirrid Mountain Inn in Abergavenny is haunted by the spirits of convicts once hanged over a beam in its stairwell.
Warwickshire's Blue Lias in Stockton is haunted by a red-haired farm labourer, killed by his employer. West Midlands' Old Crown in Birmingham, dating to 1368, has bottles moving mysteriously along the bar and a ghostly woman looking for her lost child. Wiltshire's Red Lion in Avebury, located inside a Neolithic stone circle, has the ghost of a girl called Florrie, said to have been thrown down its well by her husband for cheating. Worcestershire's Fleece Inn in Bretforton, a 15th-century pub loved by singer Taylor Swift, has the ghost of ex-landlady Lola Taplin rocking in a chair by the fire. Yorkshire's Golden Fleece in York has the spectre of a Canadian airman who fell to death out of one of the 500-year-old inn's windows.
