Pub with unique spirit to go under the hammer
A VALLEYS pub going up for auction could come with more spirits than bargained for – after years of reports of being haunted by ghosts and paranormal entities.
The Hanbury Arms in Pontypool not only has several abandoned, empty coffins lurking in the cellar but ghostly “regulars” at this South Wales watering-hole are said to include a former executioner at the 1830s building, where local legend says criminals were once hanged.
Staff at the recently closed pub are said to have previously captured sightings of paranormal activities on video, which appear to show weird orbs of light darting about the bar.
Beer glasses have spontaneously smashed, lights have switched on and off with no-one in the room and barrels of cider have burst open in the pub’s subterranean cellar when it was locked and empty.
Workmen refurbishing the building upstairs downed tools and left the site, claiming they felt a bitterly cold presence that was accompanied by an oppressive feeling of dread.
A previous owner of the pub invited paranormal experts to investigate, who said they were convinced of the spirits’ presence.
A former manager claims to have heard whispers coming from the empty cellar and refused to enter certain parts of the pub alone. Other staff have reported a strong smell of garlic in certain places – and no, not just in the kitchen.
And perhaps most eerily of all, the souls of a little girl named Emily and a small boy in Victorian dress, are said to be regulars despite their tender years.
Surveyor Debra Bisley, who is handling the sale for Newport-based Paul Fosh Auctions, said: “Taking on a property may require an investor to be brave and confident.
“The refurbished pub on Clarence Street, the main road into the town, has a well-documented history of paranormal goings-on over the years; if you buy it you may need that extra bit of bravery to complete the work.”
The Hanbury Arms traded as a public house until last year and is now going to auction with a guide price of £140,000-plus. The property can offer a ground floor bar area, first floor apartment and four additional bedrooms; oh yes, and that creepy coffin cellar and a variety of spooky sitting tenants. The former pub full of spirits is going to online auction with Paul Fosh Auctions on Tuesday, April 27, from noon and ends Thursday, April 29, at 5pm.