RICK HALE takes us back in time to discover the reasons why Chequers Inn Amersham is hive of paranormal activity…
Chequers Inn Amersham
51 London Road West, Amersham, H7 9DA
Along the London Road in Buckinghamshire is the small market town of Amersham, a cheerful place known for its museums, gardens, breweries and boutique stores.
However, buried deep underneath this picturesque English town, with its well-established tourist industry, lays a dark history.
A history steeped in religious persecution, terror and death. It’s believed this macabre history has resulted in the extreme haunting of The Chequers Inn.
The Chequers Inn is a bed and breakfast that is so haunted that even several attempts at exorcisms failed to rid the building of its extreme hauntings.
History of The Chequers Inn Amersham
The Grade II listed Chequers Inn, was built in the 15th century as a coaching inn for people travelling from London to the West Country.
It wouldn’t be until the early 16th century when the Inn gained the spectral black stain that it is known for today.
In the early years of the 1500s, the followers of John Wycliffe, or Lollards, were rounded up and forced to stand trial for the unspeakable crime of heresy.
After a very short trial the seven Lollards were found guilty and sentenced to the only punishment the church deemed necessary to cleanse themselves of heretics, burning at the stake.
Before the Lollard martyrs bravely went to meet their fate, they were imprisoned at the Chequers Inn.
Where they helplessly watched as the townspeople gathered to see them burn for their crime.
The Haunting of The Chequers Inn
The Chequers Inn’s reputation for being home to terrifying ghosts is so well known it attracts ghost hunters from all over England. And beyond.
Reportedly, not a day goes by where a member of staff, or guest, reports a harrowing experience with one of the ghosts believed to haunt this charming bed and breakfast.
The Hooded Woman
No proper English haunting would be complete without the apparition of a lady in white.
The most commonly reported ghost at the Chequers Inn is the figure of a woman in a white, hooded dress.
The apparition is believed to be the daughter of William Tylsworth, one of the seven martyrs who burned at the stake.
She has been spotted in the upstairs bedroom late at night while a guest tries to sleep.
She reportedly appears and takes a walk around the room before vanishing through a wall. Leaving a guest stunned over what they just witnessed.
The Chimney Sweep
In the 19th century the body of a young chimney sweep was discovered outside the Chequers Inn.
When his battered body was discovered, the owner offered the theory that the young man ran afoul of some thieves who beat him and left him for dead.
Today, the soot covered apparition of the chimney sweep has been witnessed wandering the halls of the Inn.
According to people who have seen the chimney sweep, he appears to just go about his business without care of people observing him.
The Gaoler
The ghosts of the Chequers Inn is not just limited to the seven martyrs believed to inhabit the Inn. Their Gaoler is said to still haunt the Inn.
The creepy apparition of a man in a hooded tunic has been spied lurking about the bar area startling all who see him.
He reportedly appears and then vanishes leaving a sensation of dread foreboding in his wake.
The frightening apparition is believed to be Osman, the man who kept the Lollards locked up before their execution.
Apparently, Osman, is still keeping tabs on his prisoners long after his death.
The Grey Lady
The ghostly figure of a grey lady has been reported roaming the exterior of the Inn.
Several concerned people have approached the strange woman to inquire if she needed help. They are left shocked as she vanishes before their eyes.
The extraordinarily haunted Chequers Inn, is a favourite bed and breakfast and pub with both locals and tourists.
It is easily visited via the Metropolitan Line on the London Underground.
The Inn has route en-suite rooms and more than enough ghosts to quench your thirst for the unexplained.
