Up to 30 of Britain’s most haunted venues are listed on the company’s website www.findaproperpub.co.uk/halloween, in a compilation designed to appeal to would be ghost hunters or those seeking out spooky tales.
Spine tingling stories abound at the Red Lion in Avebury, Wiltshire – a pub voted as one of the top ten most haunted pubs in the world. At least five apparitions are reportedly in residence at the site, a former farmhouse dating back to the early 17th century and later a coaching house.
The most famous, a girl named Florrie, is often spotted by a well inside the pub. She was killed by her husband after he discovered her unfaithfulness and it is believed her ghost is responsible for throwing small items across the bar. Other phantoms include two children and a woman, possibly related, as well as a ghostly horse and carriage that pulls up outside the pub.
Elsewhere, the Bell Inn in Thetford, Norfolk is so renowned for its activity that the hotel regularly hosts ghost tours and is popular with paranormal investigators. One spirit is thought to be Elizabeth Radcliffe, a landlady who was murdered in the 19th century when she was pushed out of the window of room ten. Supernatural activity and many sightings have been reported in the doomed room alongside adjacent room 11, while staff have heard children playing in empty rooms, rattling keys in the night and seen the spectre of a hooded monk.
The guide also features the George in Holborn, London, a pub which stands on foundations that date back to the 17th century, and is reportedly home to a harmless ghost who frequents the cellar. One report describes him as smiling and dressed as a cavalier, but other accounts suggest he is headless.