Whether you’re a believer or not, if presented with an opportunity to spend a night in what is reputedly the ‘most haunted’ pub in the UK, would you do it?
Well, I did.
It’s located in York, in England’s northeast. Founded more than two millennia ago, this is a city soaked in history — from ancient Romans and Vikings, to Guy Fawkes and marauding Scots.
These days, its 13th-century walls enclose a labyrinth of narrow medieval streets, and precariously balanced Tudor and Elizabethan houses.
And one of these impossibly ancient structures is the Golden Fleece pub.
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Smack bang in the heart of the city centre, the watering hole dates back to at least 1503. And given that York was hailed as the ‘most haunted city in Europe’ by the International Ghost Research Foundation, the Fleece is, by proxy, the most haunted pub in the country.
Yes, according to countless reports, the spirits present in this bar aren’t only of the alcoholic variety.
Regular hauntings have led ghost hunters to conclude that there are 15 different restless spectres here, including ‘One Eyed Jack’ — a 17th century red coat seen carrying a pistol; a young Victorian boy who was trampled to death by horses in the yard; former landlady, Alice Peckett, who stalks the corridors late at night; and a Canadian airman who fell to his death from one of the upper windows during World War II.
The wealth of paranormal activity even led to an investigation by hit TV show, Most Haunted, back in 2005, which brings us nicely to my pre-check in preparation.
Coercing an old mate, Becky, into being my companion for the night, I ‘warm us up’ by watching said episode on YouTube ahead of our arrival.
Chuckling in the daylight in the knowledge that, whatever happens, we’d be sharing a room, our bravado quickly falters upon check-in when we discover that, due to the four other guest rooms being unoccupied, we’ve been ‘upgraded’ from a shared room to a bedchamber each. Gulp.
Returning in the evening from an afternoon exploring, I reluctantly bid goodnight to my friend and bed down for the night.
Closing the door behind me, every step I make on the uneven floor prompts an eerie ‘creak’ that sends shivers down my spine.
Brushing my teeth, I feel like someone – or something – is looking at me, and the hairs on my neck stand to attention.
Midnight, the witching hour, and I sit bolt upright, awoken from a troubled sleep. The dark, doorless corridor opposite the bed gives me the creeps. Perhaps due to fatigue, I see shadows that appear to move.
Pondering whether to release my inner ghost hunter and ask: ‘Is anybody there?’ I instead firmly shut my eyes and cover my head with the duvet.
Later, I’m woken again by the sound of something heavy being dragged across the floor below.
Looking at the clock on my phone, it’s around 5am. ‘Ah,’ I think to myself, ‘it’s the cleaners moving the bar furniture,’ and once again nod off.
Emerging in the morning for breakfast, with dark circles under my eyes coupled with a severe case of bedhead, I see that Becky hasn’t fared much better.
Over our fry-up breakfast, we dissect our respective evenings.
She also had the feeling of ‘being watched’ and we both cursed the early bird cleaners for our rude morning awakening.
Checking out later, the friendly barmaid asks about our stay.
Turns out, you guessed it, there were no cleaners at 5am.
Apparently, we were the only (human) occupants during the night.
She proceeds to tell us that the sound of moving furniture in the wee hours is one of the most commonly reported supernatural activities. So there you go.
Whether you’re a believer or not, for thrill-seekers, there’s something frighteningly fun about spending the night here and risking a possible run-in with a guest who never left.
But whether you sleep soundly is another matter entirely…
Getting there
To book a stay at the Golden Fleece, visit greatukpubs.co.uk. Rooms from £166, staying midweek.
Trains to York can be booked with Rail Europe via raileurope.com
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