The Star Bar, hidden in Edinburgh’s back streets, is linked to a cursed skull that has caused tragedies and strange occurrences, writes JOHN S TANTALON
The most ominous of Edinburgh pub stories does not exist in the murky cobbled streets of The Cowgate. It does not lie in the shadow of The Pentland Hills and is nowhere near Greyfriars Kirk and Mackenzie’s cursed tomb. This next story comes from the plush streets of Edinburgh’s New Town.
The Star Bar, situated at 1 Northumberland Place, is a hidden gem of a pub. I encountered this tucked-away tavern four years ago after hearing a particular story. The current owners have managed The Star Bar for the last thirty-odd years and have since become good friends. Stevie, Montse and co are a friendly bunch and always have a warm welcome whenever I visit. However, what rests in the pub’s cellar is far more malevolent.
The Star Bar has existed on the site for over 200 years. Evidence suggests that the site was a one-time Jewish cemetery. This connection leads to the pub’s name, ‘The Star Bar’. Forty years ago, the pub featured a sign hanging outside the front featuring the Star of David. The basement connects to tunnels that run beneath Northumberland Street. Dark coal scuttles are present for a substantial distance. It is inside of them that a cursed skull rests.
The origins of this cursed object are unknown. The skull may be a remnant of when the location was a cemetery. Cursed objects in pubs have been reported over the years. A famous story exists in Glasgow at The Saracens Head pub in the Gallowgate. The pub dates to 1775 and is considered one of Glasgow’s oldest hostelries. Inside the Saracens’ head (or Sarie Heid to locals) is a small shrunken head. The head, thought that of a witch, moves back to its original position should anybody attempt to move it.
Another pub with a cursed object is The Dirty Bottles, Alnwick. The collection of old bottles sits sealed in between two windows at the front of the pub. A previous landlord attempted to move them and died. Staff and locals consider that anybody else who tries to move the skull shall meet the same cruel fate.
History of the Star Bar skull
The first known incident of the Star Bar skull occurred in the 1950s. The then owner, Gordon Mitchell, although warned not to tamper with the skull, took it upstairs and behind the bar. He decorated the object with glowing red lights in defiance of the warning. Some days later, he was found hanging from the ladder leading to the basement where the skull came from. The cursed object was rightfully returned to the basement by the brewery.
The skull moved again, and this time, the manager was killed in a vicious road traffic accident. In the 1980s, a former manager who disbelieved the stories was killed in a robbery in another pub he was running at the time. The skull returned to the basement of The Star Bar.
Later in the 1980s, refurbishment would occur in the pub, and the skull and other items moved to the builder’s workshop, which was conducting the work. The premises burned to the ground under mysterious circumstances.
The final time the skull moved was when the then-owners moved items from the pub to Dryborough’s brewery for two weeks. A terrible flood within the brewery rendered the premises un-operational for a period to come. The skull moved back to its rightful home.
There was one other recent tragedy involving the cursed skull. The staff has asked me not to comment on it at present.
Soon after discovering the skull story, strange incidents would surround me. I gained permission to film in the star bar. We arranged with staff members to conduct interviews and make a chapter for an episode about the haunted pubs of Edinburgh.
As mentioned earlier, I had established a good rapport with Star Bar staff. I would pop in for a pint and hear skull stories. One staff member named Gillian had a comical (yet tragic) tale that happened to her on a quiet Sunday afternoon (they are all in the episode on our North Edinburgh Nightmares YouTube channel).
On this occasion, filming was going well. We concluded the interviews and the general mood of all involved was merriment. A local customer relayed a tale of the strange incident from the pub toilet; something activated a light when nobody was present.
We gained the blessing of Stevie, the manager, to film in the basement; he urged us not to approach the cursed object, and we wholeheartedly agreed. Grant, who was hosting the episode, accompanied by manager Montse and I, descended the old wooden steps to the cellar. The tunnels were dark and musty. A hideous smell accompanied the coal scuttles; we briefly filmed inside them but with hesitation. Then Montse informed us that we had reached the scuttle which housed the skull. None of us dared to go in.
We were satisfied with the day’s filming and returned upstairs to pack up for the day. When we went down to the basement, the atmosphere in The Star Bar was one of merriment and laughter; now, the mood had changed. A couple had entered the pub under the influence of some substance. The mood was aggressive, and you could cut the atmosphere with a knife. There was a definite feeling that trouble would present at any moment. We packed and left. Whether the aggressive tone in the pub was a coincidence or not, this was not the last story connecting The Star Bar and the skull.
Over the following year, whenever the mention of the skull should arise, strange occurrences would often follow. After examining the footage from the basement and piecing the episode together, a viewer spotted what resembled two faces on each side of the scuttle wall. One of them resembled me. The cellar had solid concrete walls with no reflective apparatus anywhere nearby. Nothing could have caught my reflection that day.
On a sunny evening during the summer that year, Kerrie and I took a party of 30 on our Nightmares of The New Town Ghost Walk. The fifth story on the walk is the skull. One of the attendees filmed the walk section with Kerrie reciting the Star Bar story. The following morning, the attendee uploaded the footage to social media with the ominous question “Is my phone broken, or is there something strange going on.”
The entire section of Kerrie’s talking had slowed down and was utterly unintelligible. I asked the attendees if they had slowed it down for a prank. She assured me that she had not touched the footage. She also informed me that other sections that she had filmed were fine.
The image below was captured during filming in the basement of The Star Bar. The entrance to the cellar which houses the skull sits directly to the right. The photograph features what appears to be two faces. Some witnesses have stated that the face on the right resembles me.
Whether you, the reader, consider the stories of the skull a mere coincidence, I leave this choice up to you. Please, however, tread carefully if you decide to investigate further any past, present or future stories of the skull that rests in the basement of 1 Northumberland Place, The Star Bar.
Have you been to The Star Bar? Tell us about it in the comments section below!
