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Pub Ghosts, Folklore and Forteana

Monk

Location: Peterborough (Cambridgeshire) - Eight Bells public house, Lincoln Road, Millfield (no longer operational)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2000s?
Further Comments: This pub was said to be home to a phantom monk, a ghostly woman, and the occasional mild outbreak of poltergeist behaviour.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2008-09-11 | Last updated: 2008-09-11 | ID #8940


HG's pub, Peterborough.

Those Shadows

Location: Peterborough (Cambridgeshire) - HG's public house, Cathedral Square
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A dark shadowy figure has been spotted ascending the staircase, but when staff check to see who the intruder is, no one can be found.

Source: Needs Review
First added: 2008-04-01 | Last updated: 2008-04-01 | ID #8375

Victorian Lady

Location: Peterborough (Cambridgeshire) - Prezzo Italian restaurant (was O'Connell's public house)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The phantom woman dressed in Victorian era clothing is not alone here - the building is also home to a ghostly male figure dressed in eighteenth century garb.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2008-04-01 | Last updated: 2008-04-01 | ID #8371

Marbles

Location: Petersfield (Hampshire) - Sun Inn (aka Green Dragon public house), no longer an inn
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 1950s
Further Comments: This pub was haunted by strange sounds, including marble playing, running, and banging. Several witnesses watched a jug swinging on a hook with no obvious means of motion.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2017-06-09 | Last updated: 2017-06-09 | ID #12513

Wife

Location: Pewsey (Wiltshire) - French Horn public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Pre-1970s
Further Comments: The ghost of a former landlord's wife is said to pop her head around the front door to check everything is okay. The sound of a baby crying would also occasionally be heard.

Source: Historical Record
First added: 2009-06-14 | Last updated: 2009-06-14 | ID #9518

Friar

Location: Pillaton (Cornwall) - Weary Friar public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1970s
Further Comments: It was said that a phantom friar would appear on the staircase of the building. Ornaments would also swing behind the bar and sometimes guests complained of the loudness of the church clock - there was no clock.

Source: User Submission
First added: 2011-01-09 | Last updated: 2011-01-09 | ID #10148

Dark Man

Location: Pirbright (Surrey) - White Hart public house
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: 1963
Further Comments: This figure, seen briefly in a bedroom before it vanished, was described as dark and hairy, with a black hat.

Source: Historical Record, Published Media
First added: 2002-10-29 | Last updated: 2002-10-29 | ID #2923

Lady

Location: Pirton (Hertfordshire) - Fox Public House
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2011
Further Comments: Makers of the pilot programme Greatest Haunts claimed this pub was haunted by a woman who had two children.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2013-07-23 | Last updated: 2013-07-23 | ID #11372

Father Dominique

Location: Pishill (Oxfordshire) - The Crown public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: Dying while defending the name of the girl he loved, Father Dominique can be heard moving around the upper parts of the building. Some say his shadowy form with a wide brimmed hat can be seen in the corner of the bar.

Source: Historical Record
First added: 2002-10-28 | Last updated: 2002-10-28 | ID #2907


The Black Horse at Pluckley.

Invisible Hand

Location: Pluckley (Kent) - Black Horse Public House
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1970s onwards (pub), 1970s (house)
Further Comments: This non-alcoholic spirit moves items across the bar, tidies, and sometimes hides coats and wallets, with a particular interest in black cardigans. The site is also home to disembodied screaming. In an interview with the Evening News, a former owner of the adjoining property claimed to have seen a tall dark figure appear in the bedroom.

Source: Historical Record, Published Media
First added: 2002-06-03 | Last updated: 2026-03-14 | ID #1073

Tudor Maid

Location: Pluckley (Kent) - Blacksmiths Arms public house (aka Spectres Arms, aka Ghosts, aka Blacksmith's Forge tearoom), no longer open
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1995 (boy), others unknown
Further Comments: This now closed establishment changed its name a few times to cash in on its haunted reputation, with one publican blaming evil spirits for going bankrupt. A Tudor maid, a coachman (or old lady) who stood by the fireplace, and a Cavalier are named as the ghosts which made their home here, although the daughter of one owner once spotted a phantom little boy.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2026-03-14 | Last updated: 2026-03-14 | ID #16424


The Dering Arms.

Victorian Woman

Location: Pluckley (Kent) - Dering Arms public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This pub is said to be home to a phantom woman in Victorian clothing who lurks by the bar (or the window).

Source: Published Media
First added: 2008-10-05 | Last updated: 2008-10-05 | ID #9010

Murder Victim

Location: Plymouth (Devon) - Admiral MacBride public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: One story, the events of which were said to have occurred hundreds of years ago, has a woman pursued into the cellar where she was murdered. Her spirit remains. It is unknown if she is also the fleeting shadow seen in the kitchen.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2017-12-08 | Last updated: 2017-12-08 | ID #12657

Smuggler

Location: Plymouth (Devon) - Minerva public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2015
Further Comments: The Haunted Plymouth team in the local media claimed four entities haunted this pub; a smuggler, a ghostly child and two women.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2016-01-03 | Last updated: 2016-01-03 | ID #12001

Footsteps

Location: Pontefract (West Yorkshire) - Red Lion public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2007
Further Comments: Phantom figures have been reported standing behind the bar, and one manager watched a ghostly young boy walk past in the same area. Loud footsteps have been heard, while poltergeist-like activities include bangs, crashes and glasses which fly off tables.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2012-04-08 | Last updated: 2012-04-08 | ID #10817

Laurel

Location: Pontypool (Gwent) - Hanbury Arms public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 21 September 2014, 25 August 2021, 09 February 2022
Further Comments: In 2014, the Spectral Quest company reported recording the sounds of laughter and the word 'Laurel' using EVP equipment. A tall man was also caught on thermal camera and an investigator reported feeling a hand touch their leg. In 2021 the disembodied voice of a man singing within the bar area could be heard along with a girl crying in the portrait room and footsteps on the landing. A year later, a male figure was observed walking the downstairs corridor. A local legend declared the site haunted by a former executioner.

Source: Published Media, User Submission
First added: 2014-12-28 | Last updated: 2022-03-30 | ID #11674

Buckingham

Location: Portsmouth (Hampshire) - Former Greyhound public house, now a private residence
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Early twentieth century?
Further Comments: The site where John Felton assassinated the Duke of Buckingham was widely believed to be haunted by the tragic figure.

Source: Historical Record, User Submission
First added: 2007-07-16 | Last updated: 2007-07-16 | ID #7664

Ostler

Location: Portsmouth (Hampshire) - Milton Arms public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The ostler who haunted the building fell in love with the landlord's wife and killed himself when her husband found out.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2026-05-24 | Last updated: 2026-05-24 | ID #16595

Murdered People

Location: Portsmouth (Hampshire) - Site of the White Garter public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: When the White Garter was pulled down, dozens of bodies were found under the building - it is thought that a landlady and a male 'friend' murdered and stole goods from many of their guests. The ghosts of the murdered people are restless and have been seen around the public house or felt as they pull the sheets off beds.

Source: Historical Record, Published Media
First added: 2002-07-12 | Last updated: 2002-07-12 | ID #1696

Old Lady

Location: Potters Bar (Hertfordshire) - The Old Manor Public House
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2000s?
Further Comments: A phantom elderly lady is said to walk through the restaurant, while the staircase in the same area is haunted by a little girl who plays there. Staff report a strange atmosphere in the area after closing.

Source: User Submission
First added: 2012-09-15 | Last updated: 2012-09-15 | ID #11109

Three Guests

Location: Prestbury (Gloucestershire) - Plough public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2013
Further Comments: A medium who visited this pub claimed there were three spirits here - a man named Jack and two women. The landlady also reported in the local press that she had experienced poltergeist activity.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2013-06-16 | Last updated: 2013-06-16 | ID #11356

Victorian Woman

Location: Preston (Lancashire) - Spindlemakers Arms public house (as of 2017, no longer open)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1980s
Further Comments: This phantom woman was said to be a former landlord's daughter involved in a sensationalist scandal.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2017-10-28 | Last updated: 2017-10-28 | ID #12591

Priest

Location: Princetown (Devon) - Prince of Wales public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This forlorn entity is said to quietly drift through the pub, and soft playing music has been reported.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2003-12-25 | Last updated: 2003-12-25 | ID #4856

Former Regular

Location: Pulham Market (Norfolk) - Crown public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The ghost of a former regular is said to still sit in his favourite corner, the occasional whiff of tobacco indicating his presence.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2019-08-27 | Last updated: 2019-08-27 | ID #13329

Man with Pointed Beard

Location: Pulloxhill (Bedfordshire) - Cross Keys public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2000s?
Further Comments: Several entities reputedly haunt this pub, including a cavalier with a pointed beard and large plumed hat, a woman in grey, and a landlord who worked here during the 1930s.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2007-08-12 | Last updated: 2007-08-12 | ID #7733

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