Sheffield is one of the UK’s most haunted cities - at least according to a study of 1,300 ghost sightings by print suppliers Where The Trade Buys.
Our city's haunted watering holes are steeped in eerie tales, from ghostly landlords and sobbing women to phantom highwaymen and spectral Roundheads.
Maybe you’ve stopped in at the grounds of the former Carbrook Hall Pub - which is now a Starbucks on Attercliffe Common - but did you know it was once known for phantom children, monks and a shadowy figure known for throwing objects across the bar?
Or there’s the Old Queen’s Head, Sheffield’s oldest pub, where drinkers have reported a ghostly regular sitting by the fireplace clutching his beer, while an unseen child is said to tug on visitors’ hair.
Meanwhile, The Three Tuns is said to be home to a sobbing woman heard weeping in the cellar, and animals are said to refuse to enter.
To say nothing of Ye Olde Harrow, once said to be Sheffield’s most haunted pub, where tenants reported self-closing doors, vanishing objects and a dark silhouette appearing in the bar.
Emma Thompson, Marketing Director at Where The Trade Buys, said: “Our research shines a light on the incredible history and individuality within the UK’s hospitality scene. From centuries-old pubs to seaside hotels, each venue has its own story, and for some, that story comes with a spine-tingling twist.
“Seasonal moments like Halloween are a chance for businesses to celebrate that character and engage new and existing customers in creative ways."
Take a look at our gallery below for more chilling tales from around Sheffield to share this Halloween.
1. A Ghostly White Figure at The Manor Castle
The Manor Castle pub pictured in 1983... the same year that, reportedly, the landlord moved out after only three weeks, claiming that his child and pets were being been constantly upset by a ghostly white human figure haunting the grounds. | Sheffield Newspapers Photo: Sheffield Newspapers
2. Strange lights at the Captive Queen
The Captive Queen pub, at the junction of Guilford Avenue and St. Aidan's Road, Norfolk Park, Sheffield, pictured here in 1973. It has since closed, but in its heydey there were reports of floating lights and strange figures. Another local legend says that it was an entrance to a nest of secret underground tunnels used by Mary Queen of Scots. | Picture Sheffield/Sheffield Newspapers Ltd Photo: Picture Sheffield/Sheffield Newspapers Ltd
3. The Ghost of Colonel John Bright at The Carbrook Hall Pub
Sheffield's most historic and haunted pub Carbrook Hall, was converted into a Starbucks in 2019. It is said a close friend and ally of Oliver Cromwell, Colonel John Bright, has been observed standing at the top of the stairs. Other ghosts reported here include the sounds of children, an elderly woman from the 1920s, a phantom Roundhead, a monk, and another shadowy figure who threw items around the bar. | Dean Atkins/National World Photo: Submitted
4. Faces in the window at The Industry Pub
This former pub is a property today, but when the Sheffield Paranormal Society carried out a vigil of this pub in Darnall in 1997, photographs were taken inside the back room. Reportedly, when they came back from being developed, a face could be seen peering through a window, even though nothing was seen at the time. | Google Maps