Hereford pubs and inns, many with histories stretching back centuries, are renowned not only for their architecture but also for the ghostly tales they host, writes REBECCA MILLMAN
Many Hereford Pub buildings are comparatively modern, some only a hundred or two years old.
However, even with modern new buildings on top there is still a long history of almost every pub in Hereford having at least one resident ghost.
The Black Lion, Hereford
My personal favourite has to be the Black Lion in Hereford, earliest parts being around 1550, I was recently taking groups there as part of my special halloween tours, and had a private retelling of the stories from the current landlord.
The most frequent one that most people hear is of Alice, a young child, most would say definitely under 10 years old, often thought to be from when the pub was an orphanage.
Often not dressed in anything decent but often described as a sack dress, a bit dishevelled, and lacking anything on her feet!
She’s often said to be going up and asking people where her shoes are, the landlord as a result now makes a point of always having some shoes left out for her.
What is interesting about this though is that less than a decade ago, one of the rooms was being renovated and the wooden panels were being removed, underneath there were some magnificent 1605-1620 dated paintings of the 10 commandments (only five survive now, and interestingly one is of incest – not a typical inclusion of the 10 commandments).
These are rumoured to have been a secret chapel for Catholic priests as there are rumoured tunnels underneath parts of the pub for them to use as a quick escape, however, what was also found underneath these panels was a little girl’s shoe…
This is not the only story as there is meant to be up to 14 different ghosts here!
The next favourite has to be when one of the patrons went outside for some fresh air in the beer garden, and just suddenly turned around to see a black cloaked figure, large in stature, with a large brim black hat, roughly shoving past him and hitting his shoulder and making him stumble on the cobblestones.
This is what has been called “The Executioner”, and this might have been where the first execution outside the city centre would have happened
The Queens Arms, Hereford
Another story is of The Queens Arms, which is now on the site on a Saxon Tower on the city wall.
Back in 1055, the story goes that Hereford was attacked by The Welsh and The Vikings. This is not actually historically accurate but it is still the most common version that they burn our beautiful city and cathedral to the ground, including the shrine to St Ethelbert, King and Martyr.
During this attack, a lot of the people on guard would have been killed and a lot of people would have lost all their belongings and residence, but there’s said to be a ghost in this pub of a soldier.
An Anglo-Saxon soldier who is often seen halfway up the floor (the street level has changed over the near 1000 years since the Saxon Period).
He is often said to be almost dazed and a bit confused, possibly because he was taken by shock by this invasion and has yet to move on.
It is also a long standing legend in Hereford that it is still legal to shoot a Welshman with a bow and arrow (I stress not to try as I do doubt it is legal). but it must happen on a Sunday, at 12 o’clock in the Cathedral Grounds.
The Green Dragon Hotel, Hereford
Just across the road from the Queens Arms is The Green Dragon Hotel, which is not technically a pub now but would have been a coaching inn. It is also the place where the ill fated Owen Tudor, grandfather of Henry VII and great grandfather of Henry VIII) would have rested after the battle of Mortimers Cross in 1461.
He was kept in somewhat comfort as wasn’t being held in the castle so possibly didn’t expect his execution and expected to be ransomed out instead.
However, that does not happen and he would have been led to the market square (High Town now) where he would have seen the scaffolding and the executioner.
He is given a traitor’s execution for treason, but is still allowed to have his last words, which would have been along the lines of “Let me head, once more rest in Queen Catherine’s lap”.
The Queen Catherine in question is Queen Catherine of Valois, she is the widow of King Henry V, mother of Henry VI, grandmother of Henry VII, and great grandmother of Henry VIII.
The relationship of a low-ranking Welshman and the dowager Queen would have been very scandalous especially as in the early stages of the relationship they were not married and had several children, before eventually being allowed to be married officially.
Going back to Owen Tudor’s execution, he was beheaded after saying his words, and there are two different versions as to what happens next.
The least gruesome is that a “old lady” picks the freshly severed head up, she starts by tidying up his hair, cleaning the blood from his face, before giving it a finally inspection when she is satisfied she then brings the head closer to her, before giving it a nice, big, smooch!
The second version has the head being placed on the market cross, where she carefully lays 100 candles all around and on the cross, before picking the head up from the spike.
She then carefully caresses it, tidying the hair, cleaning up the face, and again inspecting it before going in for a nice big smooch.
However, I should add the head had been on the spike for at least a few days, thankfully it would have been February and likely cold and wet, rather than a hot summers day but still rather unpleasant nonetheless.
Now he is often said to be haunting the Green Dragon Hotel, maybe he is looking for his beloved Queen Catherine.
The Imperial Inn, Hereford
Now if we go over to Widemarsh Street there are a few short snippets that have been reported to me from people that have been on my tours or from managers of these pubs.
The Imperial Inn is itself quite a new building not even 200 years old, but the cellar is meant to be part of an old tunnel (a common thing apparently in Hereford) and this is where some young orphaned girls or maybe even school girls from the school just down the road.
For whatever reason it is said that these young girls were locked in the cellar, unfortunately no one quite knows if this is a deliberate thing or not. It is said, however, that you can still hear them.
The Wellington, Hereford
Now further along, a pub that is now called The Wellington, is said to have a haunted ladies toilet of all things!
Apparently, they can experience some electrical interference sometimes too!
We also have what is now called the Cosy Club on Widemarsh Street, this would have been at times a girls school and before that in mediaeval times a tanners residence (there is a story maybe associated with that to tell at a later time) and there is apparently a ghost called Veronica who dislikes men!
No one knows much more than that but apparently the male staff often can feel uncomfortable if they are alone in any part of the building.
The Lichfield Vaults, Hereford
Now back towards the Cathedral there is the Lichfield Vaults, a cosy pub near to the Cathedral, this is also rumoured to maybe have a tunnel in the cellar to connect to the nearby Queens Arms, Booth Hall, as well as the Imperial and Phillip Morris in Widemarsh Street.
However, the Lich has a lovely friendly ghost who apparently likes to chat to anyone who is alone or at least not talking to anyone living.
He will apparently engage in long conversations with people, until they start to notice something a bit strange or off about him, and then once they start to suspect he is a ghost he just disappears!
One story goes he was chatting very happily to a young girl, who was chatting away enthusiastically, even playing a game with him before her mother thought to question who she was talking to.
The girl happily says she is just chatting to her new friend George, who is sitting just beside her and even asks him to wave at the mother.
The mother tells her child, there is no one there, is it just your imagination. The girl was however, very adamant that he was actually there, when she turned back to talk to him again he was gone…
Have you been to any of these haunted pubs in Hereford? Tell us about them in the comments section below!
REBECCA MILLMAN, based in Hereford, England, combines her academic expertise – an undergraduate degree in Archaeology and Anthropology from Bournemouth University and a Master’s in The Archaeology of Buildings from the University of York – with her passion for history, local folklore, and architecture through her venture, Historic Hereford Tours, launched in June 2024, where she shares the colourful stories of her hometown’s past; connect with her on Facebook at Historic Hereford Tours.
