Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the spooky tales which have attached themselves to our watering holes are a chance to reflect on the history of these fascinating buildings – and those who lived in the area in much older times.
Victims of a notorious serial killer, an unfortunate pub worker, and a conscientious cleaning lady still keeping things neat from beyond the grave are among the ghosts said to walk our haunted hostelries.
13. The Britannia, Cleadon Village
A spectral Cavalier and a Catholic soldier who fought for the Royalists are said to haunt the pub, with legend having it they relate to Civil War-era tunnel which runs under the former coaching inn, previously known as The Britannia. A new pub was built on the site of a much older tavern in Victorian times. Other tales from the pub include a phantom coach and horses, as well as a yarn involving a one-legged sailor who supposedly died on the premises in the 1800s Photo: The Toby Carvery, Cleadon (formerly The Britannia)
14. The Three Horse Shoes (now the Rustica restaurant), Usworth
The ghost of an airman is also said to have been seen in the bar, which sits next to the former RAF Usworth site. There have also been mysterious hammerings reported on toilet doors, and burglar alarms triggered seemingly by themselves. Photo: Stu Norton
15. The Forge, Washington
The restaurant is said to be haunted by a number of spirits, including the ghost of highwayman Robert Hazlitt, who was hanged and gibbeted after his horse was recognised while robbing a woman named Margaret Banson. The story goes the horse was tracked down to a blacksmiths in Washington, and the highwayman placed a curse on the smithy - now the restaurant- for its role in bringing him to his execution.
16. The Rabbie Burns, now Costa Coffee, Newbottle Street, Houghton
Once advertised as ‘the most haunted pub in Houghton’, these days The Rabbie Burns is in a much-altered form - that of a Costa Coffee branch. Houghton historian Paul Lanagan has written how ghostly figures, electrical disturbances, and strange noises were all reported over the years at the pub- including a woman melting into a wall, and a child in Victorian clothing. According to Paul’s works, various ghosts are said to haunt the building including that of one Thomas Caldwell, reportedly killed in the cellar during a beer delivery, his head crushed by a barrel. We are not sure if the ghosts have decided to stay on now the place smells of cappuccinos rather than pints. Photo: Google Streetview