13 haunted inns of Britain and Ireland
Britain and Ireland are famous for their inns and hostelries - and their ghosts. Spectral monks, Victorian ladies and, even, a nude clog-wearing lady abound. Historian and inveterate ghost-hunter Richard Jones seeks out the most charming inns with the spookiest ghost stories in his book Haunted Inns of Britain and Ireland. Here, we feature some of his seriously spooky places to stay in the UK and Ireland.
- The South West
- The South
- London
- The South East
- The Home Counties
- East Anglia
- Heart of England
- The Midlands
- Welsh borders and Peak District
- The North
- Wales
- Scotland
- Ireland
The South West
The Dolphin Tavern
Quay Street
Penzance, Cornwall
01736 364106
At least three ghosts are known to reside here. The old sea captain - who wears a tri-cornered hat, lace ruffles and a jacket with brass buttons - is known as George and plods the upstairs rooms and corridors in the dead of night. Another is a woman in Victorian dress, who flits across the main bar, startling onlookers. The final phantom is that of a fair-haired young man, who has been discovered standing at or sitting on the end of successive landlords' beds. No one has ever discovered his identity, for when spoken to, he melts away.
The South
The Crown Hotel
25 Market Street
Poole, Dorset
01202 672137
Legend holds that in the 17th century deformed twins were born to this building's owner. Their parents kept them chained in an upstairs room away from the eyes of the world. The poor mites eventually died and were, tradition claims, buried under the floor of the inn's larder. Their ghosts have since become a more or less permanent ethereal fixture, and the sound of children playing has often echoed across the inn's empty courtyard at the dead of night.
Adapted with permission from Haunted Inns of Britain and Ireland by Richard Jones, New Holland, £12.99.
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Created: 11/10/2004 Updated: 09/08/2006
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