3 Haunted London Pubs

Two of my favourite things are drinking whiskey and listening to ghost stories, so I figured why not find some haunted pubs so I can do both at once?

There’s definitely something about a pub with a good atmosphere - you know the ones I mean, the dark wood, the low hanging beams, the carpets you wouldn’t find anywhere else. Then there are the decorations that adorn the walls, often telling stories of the building’s history - throw in a gruesome past and a few hair-raising ghost stories and you’ve got the perfect place to visit for a drink!

I mean, Halloween isn’t too far away either so why not take a ghoulish pub crawl?

THE GRENADIER

A tiny pub hidden away in Wilton Mews waiting for locals and tourists alike to stumble through its doorway. Originally built in 1720 as an officers’ mess – with the basement doubling as a gambling lair, the now public house has seen it’s fair share of history. The enchanting exterior is a stark contrast to the haunted tales surrounding The Grenadier. Pub-goers have reported a solemn-looking spectre wandering through rooms – thought to be the spirit of a young subaltern named Cedric who was beaten to death after cheating at a game of cards.

It's known to have a lingering icy chill all-year round, tables and chairs are said to rattle of their own accord, footsteps can be heard in empty rooms, groans emanate from the cellar- oh and did I mention there’s a crucifix on the cellar wall to ward off harmful spirits? - it’s no wonder this atmospheric pub is known as one of London’s most haunted watering holes.

If you go, you can read more about the spooky sightings on newspaper clippings framed on the walls and join others in taping money to the ceiling to help Cedric pay his card debts!

You can find The Grenadier at: 18 Wilton Row, Belgravia, SW1X 7NR (if you dare)

VIADUCT TAVERN

One of London’s original Victorian gin palaces – the last remaining to this day; this grade II listed building was built in 1865 in the heart of London. Standing opposite the Old Bailey – which is built on the site of the old Newgate prison – the Viaduct Tavern is a stones throw away from the spot many an execution took place…in fact the spot is visible from all pub windows! It’s no wonder this pub has its fair share of hauntings. If this isn’t enough to get the hairs on the back of your neck prickling – the original prison cells are directly under the pub in the basement – whether they were used or not is uncertain but unnerving all the same. The dark wooden interior is imposing in itself…not to mention some of the upper floors are derelict and the original ticket booth remains behind the bar.

Aside from the atmospheric interior, temperature drops, and unexplained noises, there have been several spooky reports. The two most notable are the flying carpet that lifted and dropped of its own accord and – perhaps even more unsettling…the manager in 1996 found himself locked in the cellar after the door slammed behind him…thankfully his wife heard his screams and came to the rescue.

Fancy visiting for yourself?

You can find the Viaduct Tavern at: 126 Newgate Street, Holborn, EC1A 7AA

Rising Sun

Tucked away in a quiet East London Street is the 18th century pub & hotel, Rising Sun. The tales surrounding this establishment are some of the most captivating and eerie I’ve read! Before we even get to the paranormal sightings lets dive into the history…

A Hundred years after the Rising Sun opened its doors, things took a dark turn leaving the regulars fleeing in fear of those who started to frequent the area! Built next to St Bartholomew’s Hospital, the pub attracted gangs of body snatchers (also – and very creepily – known as ‘the resurrection men’). They would supposedly lay in wait for fresh corpses to be bought to the hospital…or for poor patients to die. Once the hospital caught onto their dubious activities, they increased their security…leaving the snatchers without a supply. Now, obviously when a supply runs dry a new one has to be found…and where better to hunt than the pub next door? The story goes that they would poison the drinks of those unassuming in the pub and once it did the job they’d carry the bodies out to carts waiting to be sold! No wonder there are a lot of paranormal sightings…

Speaking of which, lets get stuck into the spooky stories told about this place! Following the grisly 19th Century, the pub sat vacant for the majority of the 20th (unsurprising really) until 1984 when it was bought, refurbished and reopened. Shortly after the reopening, staff and customers alike began reporting encounters with unfriendly and unwelcoming entities.

Footsteps are constantly heard, even after the last customer has left and the doors have been locked…my guess is that the unfriendly spirits gather to scare the new staff for the old staff failing to protect them from the body snatchers!

People daring to stay the night have had their duvets ripped from them while they slept, or have been awoken by ominous presences lurking in their rooms.

Several (if not all of the reports mention that the spirits sensed were not friendly and by no means remotely pleasant (can you blame them, really?).

You can find The Rising Sun at: 38 Cloth Fair, London EC1A 7JQ (Just make sure you leave in one piece!)

Have you visited any of these pubs? - if so, do tell, notice anything spooky?

If you liked this, you might also like: Haunted Spaces: Room 333 or Why Do We Love Spooky S**t?