Owdo me owd butties, a mon in Cornwall, who is staying at Shrewsbury this Christmas, has asked me about haunted pubs in town, so here is a bonus haunted site.
Although probably built in the 16th century, there is thought to have bin a previous building on this site since 1085. It was built to provide accommodation for the stone masons employed to work on Shrewsbury Abbey.This may explain why the inn has several monks who still visit. Or is it the gud ale?
One monk is sin sitting in the cellar, astride a barrel and pays no attention to those around him. Unlike the monk in the bar who, if he dunna take a shine to you, will kick your table hard enough to spill your drinks then hoist up his cassock and wander off.
In 1975 the landlord’s brother-in-law was staying in the otherwise empty inn when he was awoken by a monk walking across his bed. In 1980 the then landlady awoke to see a hooded monk standing over her sleeping baby’s cot. This was quite possibly the same monk as both times the monk was wearing a cassock covered in coloured spots. No religious order wore such robes so did he meet his end whilst painting at the Abbey? Two and a half years later the daughter asked her mummy “who was that scary man in my room?” so perhaps he isn’t at rest yet.
As if the monks weren’t enough, another regular visitor is a 17th century Dutchmon. It is thought that this is the Dutch cavalier who was here to help Prince Rupert. On his arrival he mistook Sir Richard for a young squire and ordered him to carry his bag. Sir Richard, being a proud Salopian and not used to being ordered about, politely declined his command. The Dutchmon took offence at this and murdered him with his sword. Promptly detained and tried, he said that this was far too much of a kerfuffle considering he ” only killed one Englishman”. On hearing this the aghast locals had him hanged frum a nearby tree.
One evening a wurk colleague of mine was having a quiet drink(or two) when a Scotsmon ran out of the gents, grabbed his wife and fled without even finishing their drinks. Later he telephoned the inn to request that his luggage be forwarded on to him in Leeds and explained that whilst he was passing water a tall mon in a cavalier outfit came in, thinking it was summon in fancy dress he smiled to himself but soon stopped smiling when the figure walked through the wall next to him.
One last oddity, a landlord was awoken by banging on the front door, it was his cleaning lady wanting to know why the doors were still locked, he and his family had all overslept because every single clock in the inn had stopped at 6.45am, electric, battery and wind-up all stopped, only his wristwatch told the correct time.
Well that’s enough chunnerin frum me, thank’ee to anyone who is still reading this far and please, dunna have nightmares.
STOP PRESS – Since publishing this post the baby in the cot, although an ickle owder now, Dani Hayes has bin in touch to tell me that when she was about 6 years owd she woke and the mon was standing in the middle of her bedroom but it wasn’t scary at all. She often talked to him in the bathroom and nicknamed him the mayor. Her parents both saw him at different times and they had a pet dog that was often freaked out at having to go down the corridor that passed the bathroom.
