Inside Sheffield’s oldest pub dating back to 1475 with rumoured hidden tunnels and ghostly guests
Watch as the landlord of Sheffield’s oldest pub Stuart Crocker talks through the history of its building and its alleged ghost sightings.
We visited Sheffield’s oldest pub to explore the history of its grade II-listed building and find out about its rumoured ghostly goings-on.
Dating back to 1475, the Old Queens Head on Pond Hill started life as a hunting lodge for Sheffield Castle. Some speculate the building has a connection to Mary Queen of Scots, who was famously held captive at the castle from 1570 to 1584, but there is no firm evidence of this.
The 19th century saw the lodge reborn as a public house, adopting the name the Old Queens Head - a nod to the Elizabethan era. The pub retains its original black-and-white timber structure, while subtle changes have been made to make the establishment more comfortable for contemporary guests.
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Hidden tunnels and ghostly guests
Stuart Crocker, Landlord at the Old Queens Head, said: “There's rumours that there are tunnels underneath the building. If there are tunnels underneath we believe and a few historians believe that it runs to Sheffield Castle and possibly the cathedral as well.
“There's the ghosts of the pub which I'm quite sure everyone's aware of. One of the best ones that we've got is an old landlord before myself used to clean down every single night, used to do what I do, basically we'd put the glasses away, make sure that everything was put into place and every morning there'd be a half a beer on the bar and they’d do that every single morning and so one day got inquisitive about what this beer was, had a taste and it wasn't one they even sold in the pub. So what they did was pull one from the bar, put it on the side, the next morning it was gone. It's never happened since.
“We also have a ghost of a dog that's reputedly here that if it likes you it will sit on your feet on your lap.
“We've had apparitions that have been seen. One's a Civil War soldier that stands right by the side of the fireplace. We've had a young boy and an older gentleman holding hands by the fireplace. We've had a woman in an old maid's outfit being seen here.”