Most Yorkshire towns and villages have at least one reputedly haunted pub. The city of York itself has so many haunted pubs that one pub, the Golden Lion, once sported a pub sign boasting that it wasn't haunted (although it has since become the starting point for one of the city's many ghost walks, so perhaps a ghost has turned up!)
The Black Swan, Peasholme Green, York
The Black Swan is best known as one of the city's oldest pubs and as home to a long-running and well-established folk club. However, it is also famous for its ghosts. The three main ghosts associated with the pub are:
- A girl who stares into the fire
- A man dressed like Charlie Chaplin who appears to be waiting for something / someone
- A pair of male legs in the living quarters
Most of these have been regularly reported over the years.
The Golden Fleece, Stonebow, York
The Golden Fleece is sometimes described as York's most haunted pub and, appropriately, received a visit from Living TVs Most Haunted team. Another ancient building, the pub makes much of its ghostly connections, claiming at least seven "resident" spirits.
The Swan Inn, Addingham
Away from Yorkshire's ancient capital city, Addingham is a village near Ilkley on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It has several pubs down the main street, and The Swan is the one with a ghostly history. You are much less likely to find information about the ghosts of this pub on the internet than those of the Black Swan or the Golden Fleece.
The Swan was used as a mortuary in the past and backs onto a disused chapel (accessed via the gents' toilets). Ghost sightings in the pub are not infrequent. The ghost of a coachman has been seen by previous owners and staff. The pub dog (now "Jess", previously "Elwood") has been known to react to an unseen presence in the bar (possibly the ghost dog that has been reported). People have also spoken of a woman or girl by the fireplace.
The Swan is also home to a wide variety of music sessions and live gigs.
The Woolly Sheep, Skipton
This popular pub on Skipton's celebrated High Street, is reputedly home to two ghosts. There is a haunted room in the hotel, where guests have felt the sheets being pulled down! Staff have also seen a woman in a pink ball gown in the cellar; her dress floats as if in a breeze.
Further "Yorkshire's Most Haunted Pubs" articles will follow hot on the heels of this one!
Duncan Hall - Duncan Hall is a semi-professional acoustic musician and lecturer in Government & Politics
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