One of the UK’s leading pub retailers, Greene King, has unearthed some of its scariest tales from across its pubs, inns and hotels in a special Halloween haunted pub guide.
 

Would be ghost hunters will be able to seek out the spirits in some of Britain’s most haunted pubs using the company’s pub finder website www.findaproperpub.co.uk/halloween.
 

Here is a selection of the most haunted from across the UK:

RED LION, AVEBURY

The Red Lion is unique in that it is the only pub in Britain to be surrounded by a stone circle. Originally a farmhouse dating back to the early 17th century and turned into a coaching house, this pub has been voted as one of the top ten most haunted pubs in the world.

 

There are said to be at least five ghosts at the Red Lion, with the most famous being a girl named Florrie who was killed by her husband after he discovered her unfaithfulness. She can be found by a well inside the pub and it is thought that she is responsible for throwing small items across the bar.

 

Some other ghosts seen include two children and a woman, possibly related, as well as a ghostly horse and carriage that pulls up outside the pub.

 

For more information about the Red Lion, visit https://www.oldenglishinns.co.uk/our-locations/the-red-lion-avebury

 

SCOTIA BAR, GLASGOW
Established in 1792, the Scotia is Glasgow’s oldest pub and reportedly has several ghosts that live inside the building. An alleged 20th century prostitute, named Annie, lives in the Scotia.  During an investigation at the pub, Annie communicated with a Scottish group named Spirit Finders. She ‘answered’ questions by moving a glass placed on a table, and made the phone ring when the Spirit Finders asked her to prove her presence. 

The manager of the Belhaven pub has also reported a young child who runs in and out of a door, a lady in a white wimple who sits in the snug and a lady in a green velvet dress who parades up and down the pub. These ghosts have been subject to several paranormal investigations, and have only been made visible to mediums.

 

Manager Mary Rafferty said, “There have been phones ringing, temperatures dropping and all sorts of strange goings on.”

 

For more information about the Scotia, visit: http://www.scotiabar-glasgow.co.uk/.

THE BELL INN, THETFORD

Thought to be one of the most haunted places in the UK, the Bell is so renowned for its ghosts that the hotel regularly hosts ghost tours. One spirit is thought to be Elizabeth Radcliffe, a landlady who was murdered in the 19th century when she was pushed out of the window of Room 10, a room which enjoys its fair share of ghostly goings on.  The hotel is popular with paranormal investigators given the substantial amount of supernatural activity and many sightings have also been reported from Room 11.  Staff have heard children playing in empty rooms, rattling keys in the night and seen the ghost of a hooded monk.

A hooded Monk was last witnessed in 2002 by a cleaner in the Priory Bar. Records show that the Bell was owned by the College of the Virgin Mary in 1493 and it is thought that the Monk may have been associated with the nearby ruined Priory.

For more information about the Bell Inn, visit https://www.oldenglishinns.co.uk/our-locations/the-bell-hotel-thetford

YE OLDE TRIP TO JERUSALEM, NOTTINGHAM

The Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem claims to be Britain’s oldest pub.

 

The pub is home to an apparently harmless ghost named 'Yorkey', a previous landlord who had said that he never wanted to leave the inn. He has been spotted by members of staff over the years in either his favourite place by the fire, or in the cellar. Manager Karl said: “He loves to play tricks on the staff and has fun by moving things around just to confuse us.” Staff members also hear moans, groans and noises, when in the cellar, a former gaol.

 

Legend has it that a nameless cursed galleon may have been presented to the inn by a parting sailor and it is possessed of a hideous curse. It is reputed that the last three people who dared to try and clean it, died very mysterious and unexpected deaths. Today the cursed galleon is safely housed in a glass presentation case, where the manager says it is shrouded in years’ worth of undisturbed dust and cobwebs but safe from any would-be cleaners.

 

For more information about the Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, visit: http://gkpubs.co.uk/pubs-in-nottingham/ye-olde-trip-to-jerusalem-pub/.

 

MOUNT, ORRELL, WIGAN

The Mount holds regular ghost walks and hosts psychic groups. Customers and staff alike have all reported that a little girl lives in the pub, with one account claiming that she likes to play hide-and-seek with those using the meeting rooms. Members of staff at the pub have also spoken about the ghost of a barrow boy named Charlie, who will barge into you if you are in his path. 

 

Chris, the manager, reported that after placing some high frequency recording equipment in one room that apparently saw a nasty death, they picked up a crying noise pleading for help.

 

Parts of the cellar of this haunted building previously served as a mortuary and the hotel attached to the pub was built on top of an old graveyard.

 

For more information about the Mount, visit: http://www.hungryhorse.co.uk/pub-finder/details/mount-wigan

 

THE CHEQUERS, BROMLEY

The Chequers is said to be haunted by at least three ghosts and is one of the most haunted pubs in the UK.

 

The notorious Highwayman, Dick Turpin, is the Chequers’ most famous ghost and has been seen on many occasions late at night by both staff and customers. The other ghosts include a French soldier or policeman who by goes by the name of Barnard. It is said that he was brutally knifed to death as he awoke to find people in the middle of a robbery. A lady in stilettoes also haunts the building, slamming doors as she moves.

 

Some visitors to the pub have had some frightful experiences. One was knocked to the floor and forced to crawl out through the door in order to escape; a member of staff staying the night felt her door unlock by itself, followed by the sound of someone whispering “who are you?”

 

There is also a young boy who lives at the Chequers, although not much is known of his past. He likes to show himself to other children, who tell their parents about playing with the little boy upstairs.

 

For more information about the Chequers, visit http://gkpubs.co.uk/pubs-in-bromley/chequers-pub/

 

ENDS

Notes to editors

 

For further information, please contact the Greene King Press Office on 01284 714565 or email pressoffice@greeneking.co.uk.

 

 

About Greene King

• Greene King, the pub retailer and brewer, was founded in 1799 and is headquartered in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. It currently employs 22,000 people across its main trading divisions: Retail, Pub Partners and Brewing & Brands.
• It operates c. 2,300 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland, of which c. 1,000 are retail pubs, restaurants and hotels, and c. 1,300 are tenanted, leased and franchised pubs. Its leading retail brands are Hungry Horse, Old English Inns, Eating Inn and Loch Fyne Restaurants.
• Greene King also brews quality ale brands from its Bury St. Edmunds and Dunbar breweries, and is the UK’s leading cask ale brewer and premium ale brewer with leading brands such as Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale and Belhaven Best.