A pint of Guinness shattered spontaneously without being touched at a pub said to be haunted by the ghost of a former landlady. The unattended drink was sitting on the bar at the Farmer's Boy in Brickendon, Hertfordshire, when it suddenly broke, spilling glass and stout across the counter.
Landlady dismisses scientific explanation
Landlady Rachel Drury has rejected claims from sceptics that the breakage was caused by thermal shock, where a cold drink meets a hot glass. She pointed out that the customer whose pint it was is a regular drinker of Guinness and would have refused a warm glass.
Instead, she believes the incident is the work of a former landlady from the 19th century making her presence known. The 52-year-old said this is not the first time she has felt the spirit in the pub, claiming the kindly ghost once patted her on the back when she was feeling particularly stressed.
CCTV footage goes viral
Ms Drury shared CCTV footage online of the glass shattering on July 20, with the caption: "Our pub is apparently one of the most haunted in the UK?? What do you think happened here?" The clip has been viewed more than 200,000 times, with both sceptics and believers offering their theories.
The mother of three, who lives upstairs, said psychics believe the pub is home to several ghosts, including the "friendly" former landlady and her child. She described the moment of the explosion: "It was one of my regular customers who always drinks Guinness and he left it on the bar while he went to the loo. And then that happened. It just collapsed."
Regular customers report strange experiences
Ms Drury added that the customer himself is convinced of a supernatural explanation. "The guy whose pint it was drinks Guinness all the time and if it had been poured in a hot glass he would have refused it. It can't have been a warm glass, if there was a scientific reason it would have happened earlier," she said. "The person whose pint it was is convinced it must be [a spooky explanation]. He knows the pint glass was perfect."
She said she has never felt afraid in the pub: "I'm not scared, I've never once felt unsafe." Many staff and customers have reported seeing or feeling something unusual. "A number of my staff who do believe in the paranormal are convinced that they've seen a woman," she said. "When they are closing up and there is no one else in the pub, they are convinced that they turn around and someone is standing there. Whoever it is that is here just wants to be nice, it always feels warm and welcoming."
Some customers have previously felt "something has brushed past them" or experienced their legs feeling "hot" as if touched by someone, she added. She recalled one personal experience: "There was one night I went to bed and my husband was in the living room, I was really stressed at the time. I lay in bed and I could feel someone patting me on the back, I got up and nobody was there. It was quite a nice feeling."
The pub dates from the 1800s, and Ms Drury believes the spirit may be an old landlady. "When I've spoken to people born here, we think that it's potentially an old landlady," she said. "When we've had psychics come in, they've said they are kind spirits, there is no horribleness. We believe it is a woman and a child."
Social media reactions included one user writing: "Must be an Irish ghost." Another said: "It could be one of the old locals and you're in his seat." A third added: "Get the vicar in to bless the place, can't be having pints wasted."
