Henley-based brewer and pub operator Brakspear is marking Halloween with a special ‘Ghost Hunt’ around three of its pubs in Henley. The tour, on 31 October, promises to unveil the inns’ haunted histories, guided by local clairvoyant and Henley town councillor David Eggleton.
The tour takes place in three Brakspear pubs with a spooky story: the Little Angel in Remenham, Row Barge on West Street and Bull on Bell Street. Tickets for the tour cost £5, with all proceeds going to Sue Ryder, Brakspear’s nominated charity.
All three pubs are featured on Brakspear’s new, dedicated ‘haunted hostelries’ website, which lists around 20 inns, each with its own ghost, poltergeist or other paranormal activity. These include a former landlord’s murdered wife at the Bull & Butcher in Turville, a highwayman at the Duke of Wellington in Twyford and, at the Little Angel, the hanged poisoner Mary Blandy.
Brakspear chief executive Tom Davies said, “Ghostly goings on and pubs go hand in hand and many inns can tell tales of unexplained noises, strange apparitions or bottles that jump off the shelf in an empty bar. It’s true some of them are reported by customers after a particularly enjoyable night in the pub, but not all!
“With a historic pub estate like Brakspear’s, it’s not surprising that we have our fair share of strange sightings and sounds, so we decided to gather our haunted histories together on one website for the many people who find them fascinating.”