A Visit to One of the Most Haunted Pubs in Britain

Me and my partner were actually recommended by our friends Nicole and Marie to visit the pub, Ye Olde King's Head in Chester. What we did expect is a pub rich with history, but what I didn’t anticipate is the feeling of needing to keep looking behind me.

We visited the pub for something to eat after exploring the Sick to Death museum. The owner of the pub, Harry, noticed my book to one side while taking our food order and became instantly interested in it. He then shared a folder with us containing pictures and letters from previous guests who had stayed in the hotel. The hotel is known as My Haunted Hotel which is part of the pub.

As my partner and I enjoyed our food - my partner had sausage and mash and I had a burger - I read each of the customers letters they had written about their experience of staying at the hotel. Many of them talked about hearing banging in the next room to where they were sleeping when no one else was staying the night or hearing the laughter of children. Harry explained that guests had left in the night never to return.

We talked about each other’s journeys of our projects; I believe we were equally curious in one another's experiences. Harry asked me about the writing of my book, and I asked him how he came to own such a historic pub. Harry went on to offer me a private tour of the hotel. I felt incredibly privileged that he took the time to show me around the hotel and the pub, telling me about the building's past.

He led me to the building’s second level first. He mentioned that, although it appears to be a banquet hall worthy of a Viking feast, it was originally a brothel, with many of the men who would have come to the pub visiting the women after a few drinks. He also shared about how he and his friends had witnessed ghostly apparition and glassware falling from the bar. He went on to explain how many unexplained things had been caught on the cameras that were placed throughout the building, filming normally and in infrared. He showed me a video before we went upstairs to the guest rooms, in which a child's voice over a clip of the banquet room sounds like it says Billy. The voice to me stated Billy clearly, and it sounded more like an old English accent of a young child.

With silhouetted mannequins and a grandfather clock at the end of the hallway, the guest floor hallway instantly took me aback. It felt like the entrance to a theatrical ghostly experience. Harry explained that he had done this because it is commonly known to heighten paranormal activity. He also gave me a tour of the guest rooms, each of which had a different theme. You may see the photos of these rooms by heading over to my Facebook page by clicking here.

The rooms each hold a number of different artefacts, I was immediately drawn to the black mirror, known also as witches mirror, he explained how someone has been known to hold candle in front of it and for it to go out in the mirror and not in the person’s hand. He also explained the sword and slippers that was above the bar had been found beneath the flooring of the master bedroom and that it may linked to a sword fight outside the pub.

He led me into one room which has the notorious inverted pentagram symbol on the floor. Harry was happy enough to walk across it, but I'm not sure if he noticed that I very much kept my distance from it. He then showed me to another room in which people had donated items that are thought to be able to move by their own accord, like dolls. I found this very interesting as each object on display had a story to share to explain why it was there.

He also explained that the attic - which was accessible by this room - had recently been opened and since then the paranormal activity had been more active. He also showed me a few of the items that had been retrieved from the attic, one of which was an old monopoly board. Before being left alone Harry also showed me another room where he and his crew was conducting an experiment of moving the Grace Doll from its usual room of number 8. I wonder what may come of this?

In the whole time Harry was taking me around and telling me of the pubs history I actually forgot to take any photos, after asking Harry if he would mind be capturing some shots of the place, I was left alone to explore by myself. As I was particularly interested in the dolls room, I headed back to here first, but numerous times when in the hallway of this room and the pentagram room I felt like something maybe watching me, I remember consecutively turning around in the hallway checking my back.

I also felt a bit of a sickly feeling while in the room of the black mirror. I didn’t really think much about it to after I left. While it is undoubtable that your senses are heightened when in places like this there is no doubt that the pub and hotel have a rich history; this is something I might consider researching in the future. I think it would be interesting to browse the British Newspaper Archives and see if any newspapers mention the pub, as this may shed some light on the pub’s history.

I think it's always appropriate to express gratitude to those who have gone above and beyond to provide an unexpected customer experience. Before we left, I expressed my gratitude to Harry for his time. He was actually holding a meeting with his team, who were presumably getting ready for the Grace Doll experiment. Each individual conveyed a sense of warmth and kindness and was incredibly welcoming.

Thank you Harry to all his team and crew for your hospitality!