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Pub Ghosts, Folklore and Forteana

Young Woman

Location: Newquay (Cornwall) - Area between Towan beach and Belushi's public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A local legend says that a woman was killed when an old smugglers' tunnel collapsed while she was exploring it during the 1930s. Now people in the area hear a woman crying and occasionally glimpse her floating apparition.


ID #12253, last updated 2016-08-27

Crying Children

Location: Northampton (Northamptonshire) - Auctioneers Public House, Market Square
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Pre-1999
Further Comments: A former landlord and his wife reported hearing the cries of children and the smell of burning timber - it is speculated that this ghost sighting relates to the Great Fire of Northampton, when in 1675 the buildings around Market Square were burnt to the ground.


ID #7764, last updated 2007-08-19

Misty forms

Location: Northampton (Northamptonshire) - Black Lion public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa 1970s
Further Comments: Many of the pub's owners have reported lights that turn themselves on and off and pets that refuse to go into the basement. A misty man with a black dog was spotted in one room and a phantom woman was encountered on the stairs.


ID #3263, last updated 2002-12-05

Elderly Woman

Location: Northampton (Northamptonshire) - King William public house (aka the King Billy)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2007
Further Comments: An elderly lady has been reported walking along the main corridor in the upper part of this pub. The Northants Haunted group conducted a seance on site, revealing that six spirits remained in the building, one of whom had the initials JG.


ID #8057, last updated 2007-11-18

Monk

Location: Northampton (Northamptonshire) - Old Jolly Smokers public house, no longer standing (was located at 25 The Mayorhold)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Mid-twentieth century
Further Comments: Accompanied by the smell of incense, this brown hooded figure haunted the pub before it was demolished.


ID #3383, last updated 2003-01-02


Shipman's Pub, Northampton.

Harry Franklin

Location: Northampton (Northamptonshire) - Shipman's Public House
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: A former landlord who took his own life in a 'horrific manner', Harry can be heard walking above the heads of the locals as they sip their pints.


ID #3719, last updated 2003-01-30


Wig & Pen pub, Northampton.

Cellar Dweller

Location: Northampton (Northamptonshire) - Wig & Pen public house, Saint Giles Street
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: Late twentieth century
Further Comments: The entity in the basement rarely manifests on the upper levels and is happy to scare any dogs that try to enter its domain.


ID #3720, last updated 2003-01-30

Man in Black Cloak

Location: Northfleet (Kent) - Ye Olde Leather Bottle public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2004
Further Comments: The landlord claimed the site was haunted by a man in a black cloak, and a maid who haunted the upper rooms. A poltergeist would push items off the shelves.


ID #14306, last updated 2021-11-03

Blonde Man

Location: Northfleet (Kent) - Ye Olde Leathern Bottle public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This tall ghostly gentleman has been reported within the building. A female form also haunts the place.


ID #3158, last updated 2002-11-12

Man in Hat

Location: Northian (Sussex) - Crown & Thistle public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: November 1995
Further Comments: This figure was seen upstairs, walking along the corridor, with a feather in his hat. It is not known if he has a connection with the other ghost here, that of an older woman dressed in dark clothing who walks through a downstairs wall.


ID #1896, last updated 2002-07-21

Monks

Location: Northill (Bedfordshire) - The Crown public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: Built on the site of a monastery, The Crown is now haunted by monks. One has been seen ascending the staircase, while other people have reported a robed figure in the car park.


ID #7852, last updated 2007-08-27

Flying Glasses

Location: Norton (Worcestershire) - Retreat public house
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 2018-2022
Further Comments: The local press reported that glasses would fly off tables and children's toys would be activated by an unseen presence.


ID #14698, last updated 2022-11-06

Wrongly Hanged

Location: Norton St Philip (Somerset) - Fleur de Lys public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1970s
Further Comments: A man hanged by mistake by soldiers occasionally appears in the pub. Former landlords and landladies have encountered a shadowy figure and have heard the jangling of chains.


ID #7200, last updated 2007-04-06

Tommy Tucker

Location: Norton St Philip (Somerset) - Tucker's Grave public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Buried underneath the pub, Tommy's corpse is thought to have been staked to prevent its return. However, it is reported that his ghostly figure has been seen around the area of the public house.


ID #1089, last updated 2002-06-06

Sam the Lord Sheffield

Location: Norwich (Norfolk) - Adam and Eve public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1549 onwards
Further Comments: Dying at the inn in 1549, Lord Sheffield (now nicknamed Sam) now makes the odd appearance in the building. Sometimes staff report the feeling of someone running fingers through their hair, even though no one else is nearby. In 2006 one man reported seeing a ghostly hand holding a head while sitting in the pub's car park.


ID #62, last updated 2000-08-17

Highwayman

Location: Norwich (Norfolk) - Coachmaker's Arms public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late twentieth century
Further Comments: This phantom figure (who looks like Dick Turpin) stands at the end of the bar and has been mistaken for a paying customer. A ghostly woman in black reportedly walks down the staircase, while bottles and glasses fall from the shelves without just cause.


ID #6396, last updated 2005-07-12


The Bridge House pub, Norwich.

Screaming

Location: Norwich (Norfolk) - The Bridge House public house (currently the Lollard's Pit), Riverside Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: Constructed over sixteenth century holding cells, the screams are assumed to be those of terrified prisoners.


ID #969, last updated 2002-05-21


Wild Man pub, Norwich.

Little Boy

Location: Norwich (Norfolk) - Wild Man (aka Wildman) public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late twentieth century?
Further Comments: A former staff member claimed to have seen a young boy run across the bar area and disappear up the staircase, though no trace of him could be found. He is thought to have died in the cellar in a fire, where heavy barrels are now heard moving across the floor late at night.


ID #6400, last updated 2005-07-12

Victorian Gentleman

Location: Norwood (North Yorkshire) - Lady le Gros public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1998
Further Comments: Samuel Peacock, a former landlord, still maintains a presence in his former bar, and has been seen several times or heard as he walks down the cellar steps.


ID #3649, last updated 2003-01-18

Young Boy

Location: Nottingham (Nottinghamshire) - Headstocks public house, Cinderhill
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2023
Further Comments: Two non-threatening spirits are reported in this pub, a young boy who has been observed by employees behind the bar, and the ghost of a former landlord whose reflection was spotted in a mirror.


ID #15019, last updated 2023-08-05

Victorian Girl

Location: Nottingham (Nottinghamshire) - Loggerheads public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This little girl is said to enjoy playing along the corridors in the upper part of the building. The bar downstairs is home to a First World War officer, a Cavalier, and even possibly Dick Turpin who once stayed here en route to York.


ID #8520, last updated 2008-05-05

Dark Man

Location: Nottingham (Nottinghamshire) - Sherwood Manor public house, Mansfield Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Wearing a large floppy hat, this dark figure has been encountered in the cellar. He is blamed whenever items are moved around. It may be the same man who is seen in other parts of the building, wearing a top hat.


ID #8423, last updated 2008-04-20

Voices

Location: Nottingham (Nottinghamshire) - Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem public house
Type: Curse
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: Probably the oldest public house in England, the building is home to spectral voices and other phantom noises. A model galleon, thick with dust, hangs from the ceiling and is said to be cursed - anyone who touches it dies within twelve months.


ID #2777, last updated 2002-10-21

Older Woman

Location: Nuneaton (Warwickshire) - Bull's Head public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A former landlord watched an older woman in Victorian clothing walk through a wall.


ID #12460, last updated 2017-05-11

Dave

Location: Nuneaton (Warwickshire) - Coniston Tavern
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: April 2023
Further Comments: A ghost named Dave found himself blamed when a pint of lager exploded on a table, covering the customers with liquid. A few months previous on the same table, another pint glass had slid on to the floor unaided by human hand.


ID #14867, last updated 2023-04-29

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