Pub brewing up chills and spills!
As we countdown to Halloween, discovers some ‘regulars’ at the Ring O Bells in Middleton have been running up a tab of frights
WHEN it comes to spooky goingson, a name that crops up often is the Ring O Bells, in St Leonard’s Square, Middleton.
St Leonard’s is steeped in creepy history itself, and the pub offers panoramic views of St Leonard’s Church, a Grade I listed building first built in 1412.
The historic pub, which has been open since the 1820s, is said to be on what was once druid land – druids being Celtic people who were practitioners of rituals – dating back to the third century.
It is said that a druid temple once stood on the site, dating back to Saxon times, and that monks once brewed ale at the site.
Landlord
Roger
Haymes, who has been at the Ring O Bells for 10 years, says he has seen glasses break on shelves, or fall off them - but he puts this down to the glasses being stacked too tightly or not being on the shelf properly. However, he says there have been countless incidents where other customers have reported spooky happenings.
He said: “I think you have to see it to believe it.
“There have been strange things.
“People say they have seen someone sitting in the corner, but there’s noone there.
“There was a dog that always used to bark at the corner. People say they’ve seen faces in the windows.
“My stepdaughter’s young daughter went to the toilets then ran out screaming that there was a man in there.
“But there was no-one there.
“Other people have seen someone in the toilets too.”
Roger has also allowed ghost hunters in, who report high levels of ghostly activity.
Another rumour is that the pub is haunted by a cavalier named Edward, who was reputedly murdered by Oliver Cromwell’s Army when they passed through the town.
He’s said to have appeared wearing royalist uniform in front of regulars and landlords, and punters have also reported witnessing glasses sliding along the bar and hearing heavy footsteps and peculiar noises.
Allegedly, in the past helmets and pikes have been discovered under the cellar floor, which dates to the 1600s, but human remains haven’t been found.