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Do you want a spirit to go with your pint?
HALLOWEEN wouldn't be the same without a good ghost story and Haunted Inns of Northamptonshire, by Wellingborough author Dorothy Priest, is full of them. Features editor Joni Ager meets the writer and picks out of few of the best tales from Northamptonshire's most haunted pubs.
While many of you reading this may have enjoyed a drink at The World's End in Ecton, most probably don't know that the pub lies on the site of a former prison used to hold those captured at the Battle of Naseby in 1645.
Many of the captors died from their war wounds or from ill treatment and the cellar came to be used as a mortuary.
The pub is apparently home to several ghosts, including a nun-like figure with a skull for a face, and this is one of the spooky stories in the book Haunted Inns of Northamptonshire, by Dorothy Priest.
Mrs Priest, of Wellingborough, said: "A crowd of us were sitting in a pub and one of the regulars was chatting about the resident ghost.
"We got talking about it and it seemed like a good idea for a book.
"I went to the Evening Telegraph and the Chronicle & Echo libraries where I picked up all kinds of things and I did a trip around pubs to talk to the landlords.
"There are lots of things that have happened in the county that could have left a ghost such as the Battle of Naseby and various murders. The civil war has given rise to a lot of stories.
"Northamptonshire is a fantastic historical place but the way the county is changing and the pubs are changing, there won't be any of the traditional old pubs left soon so the stories will be gone."
Mrs Priest has never seen a ghost herself but she says she wouldn't rule out the possibility that spirits do exist.
She said: "I am quite a cynical person but I don't disbelieve. I have spoken to too many people who have seen or felt something and once I started the book it was amazing how many of my friends then mentioned an experience they had had."
Mrs Priest's next project is a book about ghost legends of Northamptonshire.
Haunted Inns of Northamptonshire is available to buy from WH Smith, Waterstones, West End in Wellingborough, Wellingborough Museum and www.amazon.co.uk.
The Knights Lodge, Corby
Probably the oldest building in the town, The Knights Lodge, pictured, is Grade II listed and there is still a trapdoor in the floor leading down to ancient tunnels, presumably now collapsed, which run all the way to Rockingham Castle.
In the 12th century the site belonged to the Cistercian monks from Pipewell Abbey, which may explain why a monk-like figure has been seen gliding across the floor of the pub and then fade into the panneling opposite.
A previous landlady saw the ghost late one night after locking up and her terrier dog barked and growled at the spot where the figure disappeared.
He is usually spotted around the old fireplace at one end of the inn where the temperature is often colder than the rest of the bar.
She saw the figure several more times, always dressed in monk's robes.
Rafferty's, Wellingborough
The inn has reportedly been haunted for many years by a ghost who has the appearance of a Quaker and wears a black old-fashioned jacket and white knee-length socks.
He moves quietly along the alley at the back of the pub and some time ago two customers came face to face with the spirit as they headed for the toilets. They quickly retreated to the bar.
The ghost is also said to move objects and slam doors.
Tudor Gate Hotel, Finedon
In the 1960s there were reports of a lady who would sometimes be seen to walk the corridors, passing through doors that would open and close behind her.
A young waiter would sometimes sleep over in room 11, rather than go home, until one night he woke to find an old lady sitting on the end of his bed. He never stayed over again.
When the hotel was renovated in the 1980s the manifestations stopped until the old bakery was converted and became part of the inn in 1993.
Noises are often heard in empty rooms, particularly at the top of the building, which was once the living area of the old lady who owned the bakery.
The Griffin, Higham Ferrers
An unidentified spirit has been felt at The Griffin, pictured, whose heavy footsteps have been heard throughout the inn and lights switched on and off.
On one occasion the lights were killed and the landlady felt herself being pushed gently down the stairs.
Another previous landlord reported that items would go missing and video tapes were seen to fly off the top of the TV. Sometimes he and his wife would be woken by loud music from a tape player used only for background music which had been switched off.
The World's End, Ecton
The pub is said to have got its name from the time when it was used as a temporary prison for those captured at the Battle of Naseby in 1645 on their way to face trial in London.
Many died of their battle wounds or from the ill treatment they received from their captors, hence the name The World's End.
The cellar came to be used as a mortuary and over the years many landlords have reported the sound of footfalls and shadowy figures in the basement.
In 2002 a gas man, working in the cellar alone, saw a man from the knees up walk straight in front of him across the floor.
Also spotted at The World's End is a ghost with the appearance and dress of a nun but the face is a fleshless skull.
She scared a group of customers in 2002 by appearing among them for a few seconds and then disappearing.
The phantom nun is also said to appear every Halloween at midnight on the road outside near where the village gallows used to stand and she stops anyone attempting to pass.
The legend dates back to the 18th century when just before midnight a coachman driving towards Wellingborough saw a figure standing motionless in the middle of the road. He quickly pulled up the horses and jumped down to confront the person but when he saw the fleshless face he fled.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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