The Pilchard Inn

The Pilchard Inn
Burgh Island

History

The Inn is believed to date from the 14th Century and was reportedly used by smugglers such as Tom Crocker who was said to be shot by customs. The island was also known for being the home to monks who enjoyed the seclusion the island gave.

Paranormal Activity

Tom Crocker is believed to haunt the Inn, returning each year on the day he was killed, 13th August.

Chambercombe Manor Trust

Chambercombe Lane
Ilfracombe
North Devon
EX34 9RJ
Tel: 01271 862624
www.chambercombemanor.org.uk

History

The Manor House is believed to date from the 11th Century and has an entry in the Doomsday Book, it’s earliest record being in possession of Sir Henry Champernon in 1162. It has remained in the family until the 15th Century when it then passed onto the families of Polglass, Herles and Bonville and eventually became just a farmhouse.

In 1865 a tenant of the house was making some repairs to the roof when he discovered an outline of a window but could not find the room itself. He discovered a hidden chamber between a room used by Lady Jane Grey and the one adjoining. Inside were remains of a grand bed and a skeleton of a woman. The body was believed to be that of a woman who was visiting the area but was shipwrecked in a storm, found and brought to the Manor where she later died. The room was then sealed and to this day no entrance is available into the room except a small partition where you can view the chamber.

Paranormal Activity

Orbs have been captured on camera in the children’s bedroom as well as people experiencing being touched, although the room doesn’t give of a unhappy sensation, rather a happy one. The room is believed to be haunted by a little girl. Whispering and odd temperature changes have been experienced within the kitchen area and strange noises have been heard in the master bedroom. The master bedroom is also known for strange feelings of sickness and the rocking of a Tudor cot. Guided tours and regular paranormal events including evening and night experiences are held at the Manor.

Devil Stone Inn

Shebbear
Beaworthy
Devon
EX21 5RU
Tel: 01409 281210

History

This inn is situated next to a strange six-foot boulder, a type not found elsewhere in the locality. Legend has it that it was dropped by the Devil himself. Bell ringers from the village church use crowbars each November 5th to turn the stone – following a tradition that it must be turned annually to ward the Devil away. The pub itself is a former 17th Century farmhouse but was converted into a coaching inn around 400 years ago. A hidden tunnel can be found connecting the inn to the church across the square.

Paranormal Activity

Paranormal activity is rife within this black and white pub with staff and guests reported strange goings on over many years. Reports of a young girl running around and also of her mother and a grumpy old man are said to haunt here. Here’s what current owners Chris and Steve Hurst had to say since their arrival last December. “I sometimes hear a noise like the little girl running across the landing. There are also knocks on doors and doors open, but when you step back to let someone through, there is no one there. Pictures move and I have also had a feeling like someone breathing down the back of my neck. Guests have reported duvets being removed from their beds. Investigations have also revealed orbs of light flying around. But there is no bad feeling at all. Paranormal groups have said the spirits seem very happy. I am the sort of person who would get very nervous, but I have been here on my own in the evening and have had no bad feelings at all. It was said the young girl and her mother could be the result of a past fire in the building, when a woman died, said Chris. And the grumpy old man was said to have been a rent collector who called for his dues from lodgers there. A previous resident chef at the pub who was resident there over six years ago also reports some strange goings on. “The day I went for the interview I felt an unnatural feeling of being watched, making me feel uneasy but I was desperate to land the job. Needless to say I was offered the position and involved in the deal was a room onsite. As you enter the public house there is an imposing wooden staircase that greets you, the bar is to the right of the establishment and a restaurant to the left. As you climb the stairway you arrive on the landing and the six rooms are positioned both to the left and right of this landing. My room, which was number 4 was to the left of the staircase and along a small passageway towards the back of the pub. On my first night there I was awoken to the sounds of someone stamping up and down the hallway. Whatever was present was constantly walking the length of the hallway but would periodically stop. This happened a total of eight times on the first night. The next day I started in the kitchen with the owner’s wife and I just passed a comment that there was a lot of noise along the hallway in the night and had there been any guest staying that I was unaware of? She assured me that I was the only person on the landing and then she took me into the bar. There was a plaque hanging on the wall that I hadn't noticed, stating it was recognised as one of the most haunted pubs in the UK. To cut a long story short, various other occurrences happened during my time in the pub. Water taps were found running in guest rooms, Lights being left on, beds un-making themselves and windows being found open when no guest were staying in the pub. And in the bar the light bulbs would only last days instead of months before blowing and the ale taps were sometimes found running...A very strange and unexplained place indeed.”