JUST HORSING AROUND

Numerous Pluckley residents have had strange experiences at the Black Horse pub. One astonished drinker witnessed his pint sliding across the table then landing on a handbag, perfectly upright! In the pub kitchen, strange scribbles have been known to appear on the orders board when the chef’s back is turned.

The child of one family who popped into the pub kept saying ‘round and round and round’ while looking at the fireplace. When asked what he was looking at, he described a spit turning and said, ‘that’s the man’s chair’ next to it. Of course, there was no spit and the chair was empty – but the pub’s landlady said that she found that same chair in front of the fire every morning, even though she tucked it under a table each night!

The current owners have experienced all sorts of paranormal activity since they took over, often finding that furniture has been moved around in the night. Once, chairs were even piled up against the front door – including two chairs they had never seen before! Ghost hunters investigating the pub claim to have heard a voice saying ‘help me’. Lightbulbs have mysteriously dropped out of the chandeliers, yet failed to smash on the stone floors. In the bar, a poltergeist is blamed for the way objects seem to go missing, then reappear – but although the Black Horse poltergeist often steals people’s possessions, they always reappear again. One theory is that a former owner, the village bailiff, is trying to return property to people that he once had to confiscate.