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| Ghosts Archive 2003 |
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First Published January 31 2003 A HIGHWORTH ghost is alive and well, according to regulars at a 500-year-old pub. They say the ghoulish punter manifests itself in many weird and wonderful ways. It's not unusual for a freezing chill to descend on the rooms or glasses to mysteriously smash. Legends surrounding an executed monk haunting the 15th century pub, coupled with strange goings-on, have convinced manager Jon Champ that the old building may be haunted. Mr Champ, 28, has been resident manager at the High Street pub for four years and usually forms a rational explanation for the seemingly paranormal activities. But even he has to admit that sometimes he is baffled. He said: 'On occasion I have switched off all the lights before going to bed but on coming down the next morning a corner of the pub is lit. 'There's also a local who brings his dog in and it just sits in the same corner and growls. 'And just a few years ago when we still let out bedrooms a guest woke up one morning covered in thin scratches. Sometimes people who had booked in for a few weeks would come down after a couple of days and check out. 'There have even been guests who said they heard footsteps coming from the attic which runs above the bedrooms. But no one ever goes up there. It hasn't been touched for 150 years and still contains horse hair and hay from when it was used as stables.' The pub is steeped in history and mystery. Underneath the building runs a series of cellars and tunnels that connected the church, monastery, pubs and other buildings in the town. The entrances to these have long been boarded up but regulars still find the town's history fascinating. While Mr Champ remains a sceptic, barman Adam Campbell is a staunch believer in the phantom monk. Mr Campbell, 27, whose family bought the pub in September, said: 'I haven't seen the ghost but there have been some strange things happening which I've witnessed. 'The most recent occurred while I was chatting to a customer at the bar and suddenly two pint glasses smashed. They just seemed to explode. 'It wasn't as if they had just come out of the dishwasher and cracked. It was weird. No one was hurt and I don't think the ghost is out to get anybody. 'And about a month ago my dad Alex was cashing-up one night and saw what he thought was Jon. But when he came down from the office he was told Jon wasn't even in the pub.' Back to 2003 index |
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