Eating out: Haunted pubs
Let’s Talk! looks at local pubs with a few more spirits
than usual! So if a haunted pub in Norfolk or Suffolk is what you are looking for... read on.
Give us your favourite Norfolk or Suffolk haunted pub! This is just our selection of our favourite haunted pubs from around Norfolk and Suffolk – restricted
to 10 choices. If you have a favourite East Anglian haunted pub that we've missed leave a message on
the forums and let us know - our readers will appreciate your views
too! Message
board
The Adam and Eve, Norwich
Location: Bishopgate, Norwich; next to the river, behind
the cathedral.
Spirits: Customers claim to have
been tapped on the shoulder, items left on tables vanish but reappear a
day or two later, tankards swing above the bar and staff tell tales of feeling
fingers run through their hair.
Information: Meals served daily midday to 7 pm
except Sundays, midday to 2 pm. 01603 667423
The Scole Inn, Scole
Location: Ipswich Road, Scole; off the A140 two miles from
Diss
Spirits: The ghost of a white lady killed by
her jealous husband who suspected her of having an affair with a highwayman is said to haunt this pub.
Nothing she could say or do would convince him otherwise and he murdered
her. She still visits the inn; you may spot her on the staircase or in one
of the rooms on the first floor.
Information: Three course menu available in the
restaurant and bar plus extensive bar menu for the bar and lounge areas.
01379 740481
Three Horseshoes, Scottow
Location: North Walsham Road, Scottow on B1150 between Coltishall
and North Walsham
Spirits: Some say it is a man,
others say it is a woman but the ghost has been nicknamed George. Past landlords
have told of things going missing or being moved. The heavy pub door sometimes
bolts itself; thuds and heavy footsteps are heard. In the private accommodation,
someone walking - sometimes running - has been heard, not stopping for the
walls.
Information: Four menus available
daily with a mix of traditional and modern dishes; booking advisable for
Sunday lunch. 01692 538243;
The Ffolkes Arms, Hillington
Location: On the A148, eight miles east of King’s Lynn
Spirits: Once a popular coaching inn, the attic
rooms were used as an overnight gaol for prisoners on their way to Norwich.
A young nanny haunts the inn; she is supposed to have thrown herself out
of one of the attic bedrooms during the latter part of the 19th century
and was embedded on the iron railings which, at the time, ran along the
front of the inn.
Information: Large carvery-style
restaurant with full a la carte menu. Bar menu served seven days a week;
afternoon cream teas. 01485 600210.
The Old Hall Inn, Sea Palling
Location: B1159, 19 miles north of Yarmouth
Spirits: On separate occasions the figure of a
woman in grey clothing has been seen sitting on a window ledge in the television
lounge and an accompanying drop in temperature recorded. Other phenomena
have been sudden and inexplicable appearances of a 'bluish shadow and ‘the
sweet, sickly smell of strong tobacco’. At 11 o’clock one morning,
the manager’s wife at the time saw a column of grey smoke move across
the dining room towards the kitchen. This was observed on two later occasions
by other witnesses.
Information: Traditional home cooked meals such
as steak & ale pie and liver & bacon; a la carte menu available
in both the restaurant and the family dining area in the lounge bar. 01692
598323.
The Crown, Bildeston
Location: Take the B115 north from Hadleigh or south from
Stowmarket. The Crown is in the High Street.
Spirits: The pub/restaurant hotel is reputed to
be haunted by several ghosts. There have been sightings of old people sitting in
bars, children that want to hold hands in one of the bedrooms and there’s
a ghost of someone who hanged himself long ago in one of the rooms.
Information: Recently refurbished, the 15th century
timber framed pub offers fine food in a splendid beamed bar or in its separate
restaurant. Tel 01449 740510.
King's Head, Laxfield
Location:Take the A1120 to Dennington and follow the B116 to Laxfield.
The pub is behind the church.
Spirits: Dating from the 15th century the Low
House (as it’s also known) is the oldest pub in the country. Current
landlords report that they’ve never heard or seen anything but say
because of its age it deserves to have a ghost!
Information: The pub offers an extensive range
of traditional food that is freshly prepared on the premises, with an extra
special evening menu. Tel 01986 798395.
The Sun, Dedham, Essex
Location: Take the A12 south from Ipswich, or north from Colchester,
turn off for Dedham and The Sun is in the High Street.
Spirits: There’s a ghost rumoured to be the last
woman burned for witchcraft in Essex who is said to haunt one of the bedrooms
at this excellent old inn. However although there have been a couple of
odd occurrences in the last three years, she is not very active.
Information: While you may not see a ghost at the Sun the
food is said to be something special - modern British with a strong Mediterranean
influence. Tel 01206 323351.
The Bull, Long Melford
Location:Two miles north of Sudbury on the A134.
Spirits: The story goes that two men were having an argument
about politics and it got so heated that one stabbed the other. He was laid
out in the hallway. People ran to get help and when they returned his body
had disappeared. His ghost is said to haunt Room 4.
Information: The hotel offers full restaurant and dining
facilities and does excellent bar food as well. 01787 378494.
The Queen's Head, Dennington
Location: in north Suffolk on the A1120.
Spirits: Landlord Peter Mills says their ghost (nicknamed
Albert) can be heard pacing around above the bar. There have also been instances
where the stereo has been turned off by a ghostly hand and the vacuum cleaner
switched on.
Information: The Queen's Head has a good reputation and
is known as one of the best food pubs in Suffolk. Tel 01728 638241.