Unnerving tales range from a medieval child said to pull on punters’ hair to a ghostly woman supposedly seen rocking to-and-fro in her chair.
Below are some of the city’s most haunted pubs, according to legend, and the ghosts and general spooky goings-on said to have been seen there.
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1. The Ball Inn, Darnall
The ghost of a member of staff is said to haunt the Ball Inn, on Upwell Street, in Darnall, Sheffield. Legend has it the woman killed herself after learning she was pregnant and today she haunts the upper floors, where she has pulled secured shelves from their brackets. Photo: Barry Richardson
2. Ye Old Harrow
The former Ye Old Harrow pub on Broad Street, Sheffield, has gained a reputation as one of the city's most haunted buildings. In 2020, ghost hunters claimed to have captured the spirit of a drunk woman boozing it up at the abandoned pub. The building was last year sold at auction for £301,000. Photo: Submitted/Google Maps
3. The Old Queen's Head
As Sheffield's oldest domestic building, dating from 1475, it's hardly surprising there are said to be a few ghosts knocking around at the Old Queen's Head on Pond Hill, in Sheffield city centre. Its most famous former inhabitant is Mary Queen of Scots, who was held captive in Sheffield for 14 years before her execution. Other figures reportedly seen by drinkers there include a Civil War soldier, seen standing in front of the fireplace; a medieval child who goes by the name of Pierre and pulls on women's hair to get their attention; and a large hunting hound that sits on people’s feet and lays across their laps if he likes them. Also supposedly seen there is a lady in white who sits upstairs, a former regular from the 1970s who has appeared at the bar holding a half pint of bitter; and a cheeky spirit said to rattle the doors in the ladies’ loo while female customers are using the facilities. Photo: Alex Moore
4. Carbrook Hall
Carbrook Hall on Sheffield's Attercliffe Road dates back to the 1100s, with the hall having been rebuilt in 1462, and it was used as a Roundhead meeting house during the siege of Sheffield Castle in the English Civil War. Its then-owner, John Bright, a leading parliamentarian and close ally to Thomas Cromwell is said to make regular appearances, along with the spirit of one John Blunt, who is said to have been an inn-keeper in the early days of what remained of the hall, after much of it was demolished in the 1900s. The spirit of a woman dressed in 1920s clothing has apparently been seen in a rocking chair and there is said to be a troublesome spirit who enjoys locking ladies in the cubicles in the toilets and not letting them out. The building became a Starbucks in 2019 and staff there have reported hearing children’s laughter and a baby crying as they prepare to close up at night. Photo: DEAN ATKINS