Top 10 Haunted Pubs in Britain

Some call this inn the third oldest pub in England and while that’s still up for some debate, it has certainly been around for a long time - since 1106 when it was originally called “The Hospice”. Located in Colnbrook near Slough, the grisly history of this pub is said to have been the inspiration for the story of Sweeney Todd. The tale goes that in the 14th century, the inn’s landlord built a trap door under the bed of the finest room that dropped directly into a vat of fat in the kitchen below. He used this contraption to quickly boil his wealthiest guests, who died with little sign of struggle. Around 60 people were killed in this way, and they are said to haunt the building to this day.

This pub in central London opened in 1869 and was located beside the old Newgate Prison. Some reports say that the cells that still exist in the basement of the pub were once used for prisoners, and that victims of the hangings that took place outside are buried nearby. In 1996, the landlord of the pub experienced a paranormal occurrence when he was in the cellar and the lights all went out and the door slammed closed behind him. Afterwards, he said that no matter how hard he pulled on the door, he felt as though there was too strong a force on the other side. Thankfully, his wife heard his trouble and came to his rescue.

Another one of the oldest pubs in the country, Bolton’s Ye Olde Man & Scythe was mentioned in a charter dating from 1251. It is said that the ghost that haunts the premises is James Stanley (the Seventh Earl of Derby) who was executed outside the pub in the 17th century. Video footage of the ghost made the rounds online in 2014 and controversy was stirred up several years later when a Chinese artist claimed to have “taken” the ghost from the pub while on a visit there. The pub’s owner has made a plea for the ghost to be returned in order to “preserve the natural order of things”.

The history of the Mermaid Inn in East Sussex reaches back to the 12th century, and its connection with the Hawkhurst smuggler gang is the reported cause behind its many hauntings. Several of the rooms at the Mermaid have ghosts associated with them, because different guests have experienced similar spectral scenarios while staying there. Room one is said to be home to a lady in white who sits by the fireplace; room sixteen was allegedly the site of a duel and has caused midnight disturbances; and room seventeen is rumoured to hold the ghost of one of the smugglers’ wives who frightened guests so much by sitting in a rocking chair that the chair had to be removed from the inn.

Another famed smuggler haunt, the Jamaica Inn has been visited by the same ghost for decades. Legend goes that an unknown man was murdered after leaving half a pint of ale behind and that his spirit keeps returning in an attempt to finish his drink. Author Daphne du Maurier wrote a book about Jamaica Inn after she and a friend became lost on Cornwall’s Bodmin Moor and spent the evening talking to the innkeeper there about the building’s ghost stories. Du Maurier’s classic was subsequently turned into an Alfred Hitchcock film as well as a BBC series.

With a history as one of the most ancient sites in Britain, the town of Avebury is home to a megalithic stone circle which dates to the third millennium BC. So, it’s already a must-visit area for paranormal enthusiasts, and a region where ghost stories can take on even more importance. The ghost said to haunt the Red Lion Pub is a woman named Florrie who was married to a civil war soldier. According to legend, her husband came back from war early and found her with another man. He murdered them both and threw Florrie’s body into a well. It is said that Florrie’s ghost seems drawn to bearded men, although it’s unclear whether facial hair is a link to her husband or her lover.

This inn’s storied history is said to go back as far as 1100, for what is thought to be the oldest pub in Wales. The claim is that it served as a meeting point for supporters of the Welsh revolt to overhaul Henry IV, and that the building has played host to several kings. It was also used as a courtroom and hangings allegedly took place there, so there are many unmoored spirits who could potentially remain on the premises. However, local stories say that it is in fact judge’s ghost which hangs around, wandering the floors looking for his next victim.

This inn, located in York, is believed to be the most haunted building in the historic city. The most well known ghost said to reside here is of Canadian military aviator Geoff Monroe who stayed at the inn at the end of the Second World War. Monroe died while a guest at the Fleece by falling from the window of his room, though it’s unknown whether his death was suicide or an accident. Guests who stay here have reported a ghostly visit from a man in uniform who looms over their beds while they sleep. The ghost of Lady Anne Peckett is also known to roam the inn’s hallways, but as a comparatively peaceful presence.

In the Hampstead area of London sits the 16th century Spaniard’s Inn, which retains the feeling of a quiet country pub in the city. The Spaniard’s appeared in Charles Dickens’ “The Pickwick Papers” as well as in Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” for which the author allegedly took one of the inn’s ghost stories as inspiration. Juan Porero, one of the inn’s former landlords, was killed in a duel with his brother Francisco outside of the establishment. As such, not only is it popularly believed that this incident inspired the inn’s name, but it’s said that Juan Porero’s ghost has haunted the building ever since.

Originally built to function as an officer’s mess for the British Army in 1720 and called “The Guardsman”, this London-based residence was eventually rechristened as “The Grenadier” to commemorate the actions of the Grenadier Guards during the Battle of Waterloo. The ghost said to take residence here belongs to a soldier who was killed after he was found to be cheating at a game of cards. The incident happened in September, and every year when the ninth month rolls around, the pub seems to experience higher levels of ghostly activity. Nestled within a wealthy corner of England’s capital city and a popular celeb hang-out, it’s the spookiest public house around.