This Halloween, we list eight pubs for those with an appreciation for spirits…
Dating to 1547, the Stag Inn is said to be one of the oldest pubs in Hastings. The pub is home to two mummified, cats, discovered in the chimney during the 1940s, and now displayed in the bar. It is believed that these cats once belonged to Hannah Clarke - a witch who is said to have occupied the Stag in its early days. Several apparitions have also been witnessed in the pub, including a Dutch sea captain thought to have been murdered nearby. It is widely regarded as one of the most haunted places in the town.
The Chequers Inn, Doddington is a 12th Century coaching inn once used as a resting place for pilgrims travelling to Canterbury. It also has connections to smuggling. The pub said to be haunted by a Cavalier from the English Civil War, who was killed upstairs. His ghost has been seen peering through an overhanging window, apparently wearing a plumed hat and laughing. Also a lady, the wife of a previous landlord, has been heard playing the piano in the private quarters.
Situated in the picturesque village of Chilham, the Woolpack Inn is a six hundred year old inn a short walk from the Normal Chilham Castle. It is said the Inn is haunted by The Grey Lady, a whose ghostly apparition has been seen wandering the older parts the main building. She is said to be friendly by those who have witnessed her.
4. Chequers on the Green, High Halden
The Chequers on the Green is a Grade II listed building dating back to 1442. It is said that some of the oak beams and floors upstairs are from old galleons. In the 18th century, the pub was frequented by local gangs and smugglers. It is believed at least five ghosts frequent the Inn, including a drayman, a cook, two women and some children.
Mabel's Tavern apparently takes its name from a local woman, Mabel Macinelly, who was born in Dublin. Not much information is known about Mabel except that she owned a cat called Felix and she died in the 1970s. Since her death, she has been known to revisit the pub - and on one occasion she called the landlady's name repeatedly in the early hours of the morning. She has also been heard operating the pub’s dumb waiter - which is especially eerie as the dumb waiter was ripped out of the pub several years ago.
The Hoop and Grapes was built in 1721 on part of the historic burial grounds of St Bride's Church. During renovation works in the 1990s, the burial remains from the Church were discovered and many bodies found there were moved into the British Museum. These gruesome discoveries led to rumours of the Hoop & Grapes being haunted - rumours which persist to this day.
The second oldest pub in Hastings, and just one of the pubs connected to the coast by a maze of underground smuggler’s tunnels. The building was a court house long before it was an ale house, and local legend says the bar is haunted by the ghost of a man, possibly a smuggler, who was hanged in the back bar. Witnesses say he is dressed in high sea boots and a dark blue jersey.
Some say that over 60 murders have been committed here, most famously by in the 17th Century by the landlord, Jarman, and his wife. Legend has it that they had a trap door built into the floor of one of the bedroom, in which they would put their richer customers. Once asleep, Jarman would tip the victim into a vat of boiling liquid immediately below. There is some debate as to whether the story derives from fact, or from a 17th Century novel, itself based on a true story. Whether fact or fiction came first, it is certain that many staff and visitors alike have experiences strange noises, ghostly figures and objects moving by themselves. The Inn has been recently refurbished, and it rooms opened once again to the public. Time for a visit?
All stories are recounted for a bit of Halloween fun, and we make no assertions that any of them are based on fact.
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