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Inn Ghosts, Folklore and Forteana

Footfalls

Location: Thame (Oxfordshire) - Birdcage Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The source of the loud nocturnal footsteps has never been traced, though a misty figure was once seen prior to them beginning. One story says the entity is a leper who was stoned to death on the property, while another says it is the ghost of a French soldier held prisoner in the cellar.

Source: Historical Record, Published Media
First added: 2002-11-12 | Last updated: 2002-11-12 | ID #3153

Old Lady with Young Daughter

Location: Thornham Magna (Suffolk) - The Four Horseshoes Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown when last seen, last activity reported 18 March 2006
Further Comments: Stories of the pair of ghosts in this building date back hundreds of years, though their personal history is unknown. A witness sleeping at the inn reported strange banging waking them up, just prior to their TV set switching itself on.

Source: Published Media, User Submission
First added: 2001-06-07 | Last updated: 2001-06-07 | ID #286

Annie

Location: Thornhill (Stirling) - Lion and Unicorn Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Annie is said to be a shy ghost who wears green, only appearing to people who are by themselves.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2010-04-11 | Last updated: 2010-04-11 | ID #9883

Toast Smell

Location: Thornton Heath (Surrey) - Lion Inn, Pawsons Road
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Twenty-first century, during winter months
Further Comments: Said to work in the older part of the pub, this poltergeist is blamed for a toast-like smell, as well as creating voices and other noises. The winter-born spirit is just one of the ghosts at home here, with a phantom child, a former serving girl and an old pub regular cited as the others.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2017-12-09 | Last updated: 2017-12-09 | ID #12664

Kitty with a Rose at her Bosom

Location: Thorpe-le-Soken (Essex) - Bell Inn, High Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1972
Further Comments: A colourful local historical character, Kitty Canham lived over 250 years ago. Her spirit walks the Bell Inn, playing minor pranks and scaring animals - she has been seen walking through closed doors, and is also blamed for moving large wardrobes across bedrooms. A fire that ravaged the building in 2001 (though it is now reopened) failed to damage a painting of Kitty that hung on the wall.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2000-08-17 | Last updated: 2000-08-17 | ID #482

Swift Nick

Location: Tilbury (Essex) - The World's End inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1980s
Further Comments: An old highwayman, Swift Nick has a habit of relighting fires which have gone out hours beforehand.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2001-09-06 | Last updated: 2001-09-06 | ID #859


A pale donkey.

Beaten Donkey

Location: Tilford (Surrey) - Donkey Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The area around the inn is haunted by a donkey that was beaten to death by its owner.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2004-08-21 | Last updated: 2004-08-21 | ID #5346

Captain Cook

Location: Tillingham (Essex) - Cap and Feathers Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This inn is reputedly the home of a phantom named Captain Cook.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2009-04-19 | Last updated: 2009-04-19 | ID #9285

Young Boy

Location: Tintagel (Cornwall) - Wootons Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The ghost of a boy who died of consumption reputedly haunts the inn and may be responsible for disembodied footsteps heard on the site. As a sidenote, a standing stone is visible from the inn's garden.

Source: User Submission
First added: 2024-07-14 | Last updated: 2024-07-14 | ID #15492

Whistling Ghost

Location: Tintern (Gwent) - Anchor Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2000s?
Further Comments: One of the spirits here can be heard playing what sounds like a tin whistle, while the other takes the form of a white lady who searches the building for her missing son.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2004-05-31 | Last updated: 2004-05-31 | ID #5182

Teenage Boy

Location: Tipton (Staffordshire) - Noah's Ark Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late twentieth century
Further Comments: This phantom teenager stood at the foot of the bed of a new landlord. The ghost vanished when the landlord, a former boxer, took a swing at it. Patrons of the pub said the description of the spook matched that of a former landlord's son, who died some years previous.

Source: Historical Record, Published Media
First added: 2004-09-18 | Last updated: 2004-09-18 | ID #5463

Naughty Nancy

Location: Topsham (Devon) - Bridge Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Nancy is believed to have been a Victorian working girl who has now taken up residence at the inn. She has been observed moving between bar areas.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2007-08-28 | Last updated: 2007-08-28 | ID #7903

Footsteps

Location: Torbryan (Devon) - Church House Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: The disembodied footsteps can be heard moving towards a bathroom, though they fade away if followed. A phantom man in a cloak has been reported in the inn.

Source: Historical Record, Published Media
First added: 2003-12-24 | Last updated: 2003-12-24 | ID #4834

Smuggler

Location: Totland (Isle of Wight) - Highdown Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The shadowy form of a smuggler is reputed to haunt this inn.

Source: User Submission
First added: 2019-04-27 | Last updated: 2019-04-27 | ID #13179

Man in Red Coat

Location: Totnes (Devon) - Bay Horse Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: Seen near the bar, this silent stranger could easily be recognised by his bright red jacket. It was last seen by a retired policeman, who mistook it for a member of the public.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2003-12-24 | Last updated: 2003-12-24 | ID #4828

Mary Brown

Location: Totnes (Devon) - Kingsbridge Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1970s
Further Comments: A former barmaid here, Mary was killed by the landlord after a brief affair with him - it is said she only appears to other women.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2003-12-24 | Last updated: 2003-12-24 | ID #4847

Christmas Spirit

Location: Trellech (Gwent) - Crown Inn
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 10 December - 24 December 1981
Further Comments: A brief but violent outburst from a poltergeist was reported in the inn for a two week period. On the day before Christmas, the invisible entity vigorously shook a decorated tree before taking leave of the building.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2007-04-06 | Last updated: 2007-04-06 | ID #7193

Nun

Location: Trusham (Devon) - Cridford Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: When on the market in 2018, one selling point of this pub was a nun and a Cavalier which are both reputed to haunt the site.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2018-06-13 | Last updated: 2018-06-13 | ID #12863


The ghost duck of Tushingham.

Pet Duck

Location: Tushingham (Cheshire) - Blue Bell Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This tame bird was killed by a landlord after it took to attacking patrons. Unfortunately, death failed to prevent the ankle pecker continuing its work, and it fell on members of the clergy to exorcise the spirit.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2002-12-07 | Last updated: 2002-12-07 | ID #3285

Knocking

Location: Upholland (Lancashire) - House next to the White Lion Inn (house demolished during 1930s)
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Circa 1904
Further Comments: This noisy haunting centred around two boys who lived at the site and consisted of strange sounds and knocking which emerged in the corners of rooms. Lights would also flash in some of the rooms, although the property had no electricity.

Source: Historical Record, Published Media
First added: 2015-08-17 | Last updated: 2015-08-17 | ID #11902

White Fuzz

Location: Vange (Essex) - Level crossing at the Fobbing turn, and the A13 near the Five Bells Inn
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: Circa summer 1990, 21:30h - 22:00h
Further Comments: While approaching the level crossing, one driver reported seeing a fuzzy, humanoid shape on the pavement by the barrier. The witness drove past the entity, and looked in the rear view mirror, but it had vanished. Other reports of a white shape have been made, the entity moving from the church towards the rail crossing.

Source: Published Media, User Submission
First added: 2001-09-08 | Last updated: 2001-09-08 | ID #897

Painting

Location: Ventnor (Isle of Wight) - Spyglass Inn
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A painting was said to have removed itself several times from a dining room wall.

Source: User Submission
First added: 2019-04-27 | Last updated: 2019-04-27 | ID #13176

Woman in Black

Location: W4 (Greater London) - Tabard Inn, Bath Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Seen sitting alone at a table in the public house, this old woman appeared to be whistling a tune, though no sound could be heard.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2002-08-26 | Last updated: 2002-08-26 | ID #2310

Mirror Breaking

Location: Wakefield (West Yorkshire) - Grove Inn
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 1950s
Further Comments: This boisterous ghost had a habit of smashing reflective surfaces and moving heavy furniture around. One landlady claimed the spirit tried to smother her as she lay in bed.

Source: Historical Record, Published Media
First added: 2002-10-16 | Last updated: 2002-10-16 | ID #2648


Anchor Inn, Walberswick.

Poltergeist

Location: Walberswick (Suffolk) - Anchor Inn
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The Anchor Inn was once home to a noisy spirit. What happened to the entity is unclear.

Source: Published Media
First added: 2000-08-17 | Last updated: 2000-08-17 | ID #51

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