It’s October, and that means one thing: Halloween is near. If you’re anything like us and don’t mind a few hauntings here and there from some friendly ghosts, why not take a trip to one of our oldest pubs and see if you can spot a ghost for yourself?
Spinner & Bergamot, Comberbach
The Story of the Marbury Lady
According to local legend, the Marbury Lady was an Egyptian woman who fell in love with James Smith-Barry of Marbury Hall while he was travelling abroad. After the pair were separated and later reunited, she died and was buried away from the hall against her wishes, leading to stories that her spirit still wanders the local area. Over time, the Marbury Lady became one of Cheshire’s most enduring ghost stories.
The legend is closely linked to the Spinner & Bergamot through the Smith-Barry family, who were early owners of the pub. The pub itself is named after two of the family’s famous racehorses, Spinner and Bergamot, and today it continues to celebrate local history through its Marbury Lady beer. Customers have even taken Marbury Lady beer mats on their travels, with photos sent back from locations including the Great Wall of China, Japan, Greece, Spain and Scotland, helping to keep the story alive far beyond Marbury.
Fancy popping in to see if you can spot the Marbury Lady around the village this Halloween? The Spinner & Bergamot is hosting its Halloween Party on Saturday 31st October from 7:30pm onwards. More details can be found on their Facebook page.
Hawk Inn, Haslington
The Hawk Inn is a 16th-century coaching inn located in the village of Haslington. The pub is everything you would expect from that era, from its carved woodwork to the faces etched into the exterior beams. With centuries of history behind it, the pub has accumulated more than a few stories of its own.
The infamous Dick Turpin is reputed to have stayed at the Hawk Inn, and the pub is also said to be home to a resident ghost known as the “Lady in Grey”, who is believed to have a friendly disposition.
The Hawk Inn is hosting a Halloween fancy dress party on 31st October from 8pm onwards, so if you’d like to dance among history, get your spookiest outfit ready and check out the pub for yourself. Visit their Facebook page here to find out more.
The Snipe, Audenshaw
When our current Pub Partner, Kate, moved into The Snipe, she started to experience some weird things at night with sounds like people running up and down the stairs, with lights switching on or off for no reason. Sometimes, the glass racks in the pub would make shaking noises too with door slamming out of nowhere.
This paranormal activity sparked interest in the producers from the paranormal investigation show, Ghost Dimension, which is quite big in America on Pluto TV. They said one of their historians was keen because of the age of the pub and because it’s the oldest original building in the area. When the team visited the pub, they did a séance and paranormal investigation which revealed that there was a lot of activity in the cellar and said that there were a lot of the landlords and landladies still present which seem to be pretty happy with how the pub is being run…After that, the pub was cleansed so that there was no bad spirits present, but there is definitely some tales of the pub being haunted.
Making the most of Halloween weekend, The Snipe is hosting a Halloween Tarot reading night on Friday 30th October and a family Halloween party night on Saturday 31st October. Check out the pubs Facebook to find out more and book.
Wynnstay Arms, Ruabon
The Wynnstay Arms in Ruabon is another one of our pubs known for paranormal activity. It is said that the pub’s two resident ghosts do not get along. Sightings have been reported in the old ballroom and at the far end of a corridor near the church.
Local legend suggests there was once a tunnel connecting the pub and the church, as was reportedly common among some buildings of the period. Whether fact or folklore, it certainly adds to the mystery surrounding the pub…
Queens Head, Troutbeck
The Queens Head in Troutbeck is one of our Lake District pubs with a spooky past and have a resident spirit known as the Grey Lady.
Over the years, members of staff have reportedly heard unexplained footsteps during the night, and one of the most common sightings is that of a woman cleaning the hallways, which we can hardly complain about! The Queens Head has long attracted guests keen to explore its most haunted corners.
Don’t be scared though, if you don’t fancy spotting the resident Grey Lady, you can still take in the beautiful pub and great pints served behind the bar.
Swettenham Arms, Congleton
The Swettenham Arms has a rich history dating back to the 16th century. Once an inn and former nunnery, it was used as a resting place for weary funeral parties. Unsurprisingly, the pub has become the centre of several ghost stories over the years.
One of the most famous sightings occurred in 2005, when a diner reported seeing the apparition of a nun by the fireplace. The sighting was later supported by the local vicar, who said the figure had been seen before. Since then, paranormal investigations and local reports have helped cement the Swettenham Arms’ reputation as one of the area’s most intriguing haunted pubs.
We have also been informed that, in 1952, the rectory was exorcised by the local vicar to release troubled spirits. In January 2006, the Congleton Paranormal Society conducted an overnight vigil at the pub, the findings of which were published in the local press. More vigils have since been planned, and paranormal magazine Ghost Voices also featured the Swettenham Arms in an article published in May 2009.
The Three Mariners, Lancaster
The Three Mariners is Lancaster’s oldest pub. Sitting just below Lancaster Castle, the pub is rumoured to have an underground passage running between the castle the pub, where many of the witches from the Pendle Witch Trials took place in 1612. There have allegedly been spirits spotted in the pub over the years, with three ladies frequently being spotted upstairs, and that customers can often feel a temperature drop in areas of the pub. The Three Mariners has many stories and has even appeared on BBC’s ‘Most Haunted Live’ in 2009. If you want to visit Lancaster’s oldest pub, or want to sus out if you can spot a ghost by yourself, it is a great pub to have a pint in if you are in the area.
So, whether you’re interested in ghost spotting this Halloween or simply looking for a party, a pint, or a spooky story or two, our pubs and their resident ghouls are always ready to welcome you…