Secrets of abandoned pub uncovered in book
WATERING HOLE UNDER SHOPPNG CENTRE INSPIRES WRITING GROUP
THE dark secrets of an abandoned basement bar have brought to light in a novel written by four friends who went to Loughborough University.
The Green Man pub may be unknown to many, as it is hidden beneath the town’s Carillon Court shopping centre, although there are locals who have fond memories of the watering hole before it closed in 1993.
The venue is the centre of a novel created by writing group, Ruler’s Wit, with characters from their previous stories visiting the town to solve the mystery of the disappearance of several market traders. Karen Ette, who used to go to the pub, and fellow writers spoke to about 25 other exregulars to get a flavour of what The Green Man was like, with some of the legends of the boozer weaved into the text.
The three other authors who make up the group are Stephen Ashurst, Melinda Ingram and Donna Shepherd.
The plot sees the characters visit various other settings within Loughborough, including the market square, Caravelli’s, where the characters stay, Costa Coffee and the Sock Man.
“It’s been hard work but it’s been lovely to do”, said Ms Shephard.
“The initial idea was to write more short stories but instead of having a seasonal theme, we decided on a common location.
“Min (Melinda) suggested writing stories relating to the market square and we all agreed it would be great to take a character each from our previous stories and plonk them together. We wondered how they would all react.
“Karen told us about the underground pub that she had visited many years ago. Min and I were fascinated, seeing as we are not local to Loughborough, although I attended university there from 2009 to 2015.
“We gathered together pictures and agreed the old pub was the perfect setting.”
The Green Man’s Dark Secret is available to buy on Amazon.
Ruler’s Wit are now working on a non-fiction companion book about the pub, which tells the real stories they collected during their research.