The crisp Autumn weather has undoubtedly arrived in York, bringing with it hues of orange and brown and scents of gingerbread and mulled wine from festive market stalls. However, this change of season also reveals a bewitchingly spooky nature to the city and it may be unsurprising to find out that York is deeply entrenched in a history of ghostly hauntedness. In fact, while you socialise at one of York’s many pubs before another ‘unforgettable’ night out at one of the city’s clubs - which you will probably forget about the next morning - you might be, chillingly, sharing a drink with some unexpected apparitions. And so, I mysteriously invite you to experience the frightening, yet captivating history of three of York’s spookiest pubs:
Ye Olde Starre Inne
The Ye Olde Starre Inne, located on Stonegate, claims to be York’s oldest pub, having been established during the Siege of York towards the end of the 17th century. Residents have confirmed that the building currently accommodates a group of sinister ghostly presences who have emerged during the first English Civil War, at the time of conflict between the Royalists and the Roundheads. In 1644, the Parliamentarians usurped the city and decided to repurpose the Inn’s 10th-century cellar as a hospital and mortuary for wounded and dying soldiers. Nowadays, guests have reported hearing the painful screams of soldiers rising from the cellar, along with the ghost of an elderly lady, sheathed in dark clothing, ascending the Inn’s staircase. Mysteriously, her presence has only been noticed by children. In order to shelter the building from dangerous forces, two live black cats were traditionally bricked into the pillar that stands between the bar and the door. Today, dog owners continue to describe events in which their mutts have growled and tried to attack this part of the building. The Ye Olde Starre Inn is ideally located at the heart of the town centre, with impressive views of the Minster - visit this historical pub for a chance to witness its ghostly spectacles and revisit this chapter of York’s dark past!
House of Trembling Madness
The House of Trembling Madness establishes its deliciously haunted atmosphere with its dimly lit interior of timbered beams and hanging taxidermy, an environment which unsurprisingly fosters its own selection of ghostly legends. In terms of its construction on Stonegate, the pub’s rear end originates from 1180 AD and belonged to the first Norman house to be built in York. As well as holding regular séances, the building offers guests the opportunity to stay in The Haunted Chamber, one of two Trembling Madness apartments that are available to rent. Those who have stayed the night have reported hearing suspicious noises and creaks, with spirits able to be detected using the accommodation’s ghost-hunting metre. Downstairs, the bar famously offers an extensive and diverse range of beverages, presenting over seven hundred craft beers from across the globe. In this way, the House of Trembling Madness provides a unique experience where guests are able to try unconventional and adventurous drinks of the current day while being transported to the turbulent period of Early Modern England - a satisfying and thrilling blend of the past and present.
The Golden Fleece
The Golden Fleece, located on Pavement, originates to approximately 1503, though the building was licensed as an inn in 1668 and owned by John Peckett (Lord Mayor of York 1701-1702) and his wife, Alice Peckett. Both staff and guests have accounted for at least fifteen resident ghosts to inhabit the crooked and quaint building. These include the shadows of Roman soldiers walking through the cellar, a young Victorian boy whose quiet laughter can be heard tinkling throughout the pub and a Canadian Airman named Geoff Monroe. During the Second World War, Monroe fell out of a bedroom window on the third floor and guests who have rented the bedroom accommodation have claimed to wake up in the middle of the night to find his unsettling shadow standing before them. The inn also hosted a range of criminals who were hanged at Baile Hall and their bodies remained in the inn’s cellar until identified by a relative. For a deeper ghost-hunting investigation, visit The Golden Fleece for a chilling drink, or spend the night in one of its traditional rooms to feel the ghost of Alice Peckett roaming the corridors of the hotel.
