Many say York is the most haunted city in Europe so it’s a timely topic to explore some of its spookiest pubs and the ghost stories behind them as Halloween creeps ever closer.
We’ve rummaged through The Press archives to find some of the city’s most famous haunted hostelries and other venues, where the ghosts are plentiful and, in several cases, so are the spirits behind the bar.
First up is the 16th-century Golden Fleece on Pavement.
Reputedly York’s most haunted haunt, it is said to be home to more than a dozen different spirits, and takes its supernatural reputation seriously.
The Golden Fleece on Pavement reputedly houses 15 ghosts. (Image: The Press)
One former relief bar manager initially dismissed it as all 'mumbo jumbo for tourists' when first appointed to the role - but her misgivings were short-lived, it seems.
The Press reported back in 2002 how she then apparently saw an apparition drift across the bar and through a wall, heard footsteps and jangling keys while alone, and felt an icy hand slide up her spine.
“I didn’t turn off the light for two weeks,” she admitted, which is entirely understandable given the circumstances.
Guests at the former coaching inn have long claimed to have seen a ghostly woman wandering the corridors and stairs in the small hours.
She is thought to be Lady Alice Peckitt, wife of a former York Lord Mayor and one-time resident next door who is still keeping an eye on the neighbourhood centuries later, or so it seems.
Treasurer’s House in the shadow of York Minster also has its own tale to tell.
And this is surely York’s biggest blockbuster ghost story.
Long-time residents of York will be very familiar with how, in 1953, apprentice plumber Harry Martindale was working in the cellars when he heard a distant horn grow louder and louder before a carthorse seemingly emerged through a brick wall, followed by a legion of Roman soldiers.
Author Richard Felix (right) and Harry Martindale in 2014 at Treasurers House and the famous Roman road.
The spooky twist? The soldiers appeared to be walking on their knees - but, as it turned out, it was because the old Roman road beneath the house lies about 15 inches below the cellar floor.
Harry’s account became one of the city’s most famous ghost tales, and it certainly beats finding a leaky pipe.
We obviously can't ignore The Roman Bath - the popular pub on St Sampson’s Square which is perched directly on top of a Roman bath house, the remains of which are in the cellar beneath the bar.
The Roman Baths pub in the far corner of St Sampson's Square in the early 1970s.
Among our Press cuttings is the account of a manager who once decided enough was enough and refused to stay on when things allegedly got so spooky at the Roman Bath.
Two fundraisers who were sleeping in the bath in the name of charity were also said to have seen a blinding light fill the room, along with the shape of a figure. This is certainly a dramatic upgrade from the usual flickering light bulb moment.
The light reportedly returned days later, fading as though being sucked into a hole. The Press reported in 2003 that this was the only sighting, although noises of footsteps and of somebody washing were regularly reported.
Is the 15th-century Snickleway Inn, Goodramgate, pictured here in 2009, the Most Haunted Pub in Britain?
The 15th-century tavern The Snickleway on Goodramgate has previously boldly claimed the title of 'Most Haunted Pub in Britain'.
Its cellar is said to house a dark, brooding presence of 'great and utter evil'. So that's cheerful.
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Less menacing, but no less peculiar, is an elderly gentleman in old-fashioned dress who has apparently been seen strolling in through the back wall (presumably he knows a shortcut?).
And then there's the age-old Black Swan on Peasholme Green where a Victorian workman in a bowler hat is said to sit quietly fidgeting and tutting before gradually fading away.
A team from Ghost Quest TV carried out the paranormal investigation at the Black Swan pub in York.
There have also been reports of a pair of legs with no body attached in the pub’s private quarters, proof, perhaps, that even the afterlife has its awkward moments.
At one of York's oldest licensed pubs, Ye Olde Starre Inne on Stonegate, the ghostly wails of civil war soldiers are said to echo around the pub from time to time.
Princess Elizabeth is pictured walking in procession along Stonegate in 1949, accompanied by the Lord Mayor of York, JB Morrell. The advertising hoarding for Ye Old Starre Inn is above, with the Minster in the background.
And finally, there's The Punch Bowl, Stonegate, which may be the busiest of all the haunted pubs in York.
Its spectral cast allegedly includes a former landlord who died in a cellar fire, as well as the spirit of a young woman strangled by a drunk.
The Punch Bowl, Stonegate, York.
If that weren't enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand proud, there's also tales of a woman who floats behind the bar at a curious 25-degree angle, possibly still searching for her lover.
The hundreds of recorded hauntings across York's Roman, Viking, and medieval streets have long attracted ghost-hunters and given rise to nightly ghostly walks and tours, exploring the city's shadows, gallows and dark past.
Visitors who enjoy a touch of dark humour, theatre and storytelling are spoilt for choice.
Have you noticed any strange goings-on at your local - or anywhere else? We'd love to hear your stories. Email nadia.jeffersonbrown@newsquest.co.uk
If your local has a chilly cellar, mysterious footsteps, or a regular who never quite seems to leave, it may be time to raise a glass to York’s ghostly residents.
After all, in this city, last orders may mean something very different to some customers.
Happy Halloween.