Long before the first landlord poured a pint, that patch of Middleton is whispered to have been sacred ground, possibly a Druid temple or sacrificial site in Iron Age days. Over centuries, the pub’s foundations are claimed to pre-date even the Normans. By medieval times, monks used the site as a refectory and brewing house, their cells and brewing vessels lying roughly where today’s cellar tunnels stretch, but this cellar holds more than just beer.

The Sad Cavalier Edward

Legend claims Edward was the son of Lord Stannycliffe of Stannycliffe Hall in the 1600s. His family were staunch Royalists during the English Civil War, but the area became increasingly Parliamentarian. Edward and a small band of Royalists used the pub’s cellars to meet secretly. A hidden tunnel supposedly led from Ring O’ Bells to Middleton Parish Church. The pub was used as a safehouse, whilst plotting against Oliver Cromwell. One night, betrayal came. Edward fled to the tunnel, but Roundhead forces lay in wait at the church exit. He was dismembered and buried beneath the pub’s cellar flagstones, possibly along with many of Edwards men.

Edward also know as The Sad Cavalier, is the most persistent ghost of the Ring O’ Bells. Many witnesses have claimed to see Edward, dressed in royalist finery, often seen upstairs or outside the pub, and sometimes felt rather than seen. Patrons report footsteps on the stairs, cold spots, and even a heavy hand resting on a shoulder with nobody there. One landlord recalled checking barrels in the cellar around midnight when he felt a stone strike his shoulder. He looked around and saw nothing. He had already sensed a presence and seen a glass inch along the bar, but that stone felt like aggression. Archaeological discoveries add weight with helmets, pikes, and period weapons unearthed under the cellar floor and are said to date from the 1600s.

Beyond Edward, the pub’s folklore mentions a serial killer landlord and his wife from the 17th century. Similar to the murders of Sweeny Todd, the couple allegedly used a hinged bed to tip wealthy guests into a boiling vat, disposing of bodies and stealing valuables. Maybe even using their bodies to fill a few pies.

Ghostly figures, phantom shadows, cold patches, and invisible pocket-pulling are often tied to these darker legends. If you slip in for a pint after dark, watch your back. Edward might just lean in for a chat.

References propermanchester.com, manchestersfinest.com, visitrochdale.com

The Olde Boar’s Head is one of the oldest serving pub in England. Timber-frame parts have been dated to 1622. Written records from 1623 show the first tenant, Isaac Walkden, running an inn on site. The Walkden family maintained involvement for decades. The building is Grade II* listed and recognized by Historic England as architecturally outstanding. With 400 years of history, you can’t help but wonder if these walls have seen a fair share of blood.

The Lost Boy and the Chimney

One chilling whisper in the Boar’s Head is about a young boy who is said to have died inside one of the chimneys. Patrons claim to feel hair tugged gently, almost like a playful, childlike pull. It is thought the boy is seeking recognition. Claire Robinson, a former licensee who lived on site, reportedly felt her hair being pinched or pulled. Locals believe this is connected to the boy’s spirit. The job of a chimney sweep, was very dangerous. ‘Climbing Boys’ were required to climb narrow, soot-packed flues. There had been many documented cases across the 18th & 19th Century of young boys becoming stuck and suffocating or falling to their death.

Notable figures

Sam Bamford, a local writer and reformer led a group from Middleton to St Peter’s Fields for a meeting that pressed for parliamentary reform. What followed was titled The Peterloo Massacre, when cavalry charged at a crowd of 60,000, killing 18 and injuring up to 700 people. Sam Bamford was arrested and sentenced to prison. After Sam’s release the spent out the rest of his years in Middleton, often visiting The Olde Boars Head to hold talks on radical reform. After passing in 1872, it is said his spirit often visits the pub, possibly tormented by his past, still seeking change. Some claim Bamford still visits as cold drafts or full-bodied apparitions.

Other spirits named by paranormal shows include Dick Turpin. Investigators report sightings of a man named Jack Thomas, linked to a murder in 1658, possibly processed in the cellar. The pub has underground tunnels, possibly connecting Ring O’ Bells and Middleton Parish Church. A boarded-up door behind the bar is said to lead to one of these hidden passages. The “Sessions Room” ran quarterly judicial sessions in the 18th and 19th centuries. Women accused of witchcraft may have been held here, with the cellar as overflow.

With childlike tugs, ghostly courtiers, political spirits, and hidden tunnels, the Olde Boar’s Head blends history, tragedy, and the uncanny.

References morningadvertiser.co.uk, veryparanormal.com

In the Conwy valley, the Groes Inn carries a quieter, haunted dignity.  The Groes Inn, is the oldest public house in Wales and one of the oldest in Britain. The building may have started as a house in the 15th century, but by 1573, it was a licensed inn. However there is some evidence to suggest it was pouring pints as early as the 1400s. Parts of the structure preserve 16th and 17th century timbers. With the building stood for over 600 years, its impossible that it’s not witnessed some horrors. The Groes’ spectres are often felt rather than seen. Local paranormal pages describe the inn’s proximity to ancient routes as leaving a psychic imprint.

The Coachman

One of the oldest tales tells of a ghostly coachman who still travels the lane and courtyard outside the inn. On some nights, the sound of hooves and wheels echoes through the quiet, but when you look, nothing is there. The story goes he was once a coach driver caught in a deadly storm while guiding passengers safely through the pass. The coachman sadly lost his life and now, he is said to wander endlessly, forever completing the journey he never finished.

Lady In Grey

Guests have often reported seeing a woman in a long grey dress, seemingly from the Georgian or early Victorian era. She drifts silently along the upper-floor corridors or pauses by windows overlooking the valley. Some believe she was the young wife of a former innkeeper, while others say she was a jilted lover who met a tragic end within the inn’s walls.

It’s hard to gaze at the old photos of the Groes Inn without picturing something eerie lurking in the shadows. The images have a quality that feels lifted straight from a nightmare.

References historypoints.org, mysteriousbritain.co.uk, theroyalvictoria.co.uk