Have you ever seen a ghost? I have. I spent an afternoon playing with a kitten only for it to disappear through a wall. That doesn’t mean I believe in ghosts though. But, if anywhere could change my mind, it’d be an overnight ghost hunt at the Ancient Ram Inn aka “the most haunted building in England.”
The Ancient Ram Inn is the oldest building in Wotton under Edge in Gloucestershire, (about a 40-minute drive from Bristol). It’s at the very least 800 years old, while the owners claim it’s more than a thousand. The last pint was pulled here in 1968 but has remained a regular ghost-hunting location for paranormal investigators.
The Grade II* listed building is believed (by some) to be built on the cross-section of Ley Lines, drawing its ghostly energy from Stonehenge, while it’s also home to an ancient Pagan burial ground from over 5,000 years ago. Its legendary status has even seen it appear on TV shows like Most Haunted and the US show Ghost Adventures.
What ghosts are at The Ancient Ram Inn?
The most popular legend at the Ancient Ram Inn is of a witch burned at the stake in the 1500s. She still haunts “The Witch’s Room”, while one of the most haunted rooms in the entire inn, “The Bishop’s Inn”, can be found on the first floor – where no less than nice entities live.
The former owner, John Humphries, who died in 2017, is mostly responsible for Ancient Ram Inn’s infamy, however. He claimed to have encountered countless spirits, ghosts and demons – and even “found evidence” of Devil worship and ritual sacrifice when the remains of children were discovered under the staircase
But John Humphries isn’t the only one to have ghostly goings on. Two plumbers claimed to have seen the ghost of a centurion on horseback. While a notorious photograph taken in 1999, shows a human-sized white mist climbing the stairs. You could see anything from a former innkeeper’s daughter in the Attic to the friendly ghost of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
When can I visit?
While no longer operating as a pub or an inn, there are regular overnight ghost hunts at The Ancient Ram Inn. From £55, you can experience the paranormal activity firsthand. For the scaredy-cats among you, there are afternoon sessions too from £35, while there are irregular open days too. To keep an eye on all events at The Ancient Ram Inn head here.