Carbrook Hall Sheffield breathtaking history – it’s now a Starbucks and dubbed the ‘most haunted coffee shop in the UK’

Sheffield’s Carbrook Hall, where parliamentarians met ahead of the siege of Sheffield Castle in 1644, became a public house until it shut in 2016.

In 2018, Starbucks were granted planning permission to take over the site of the listed building.

The building is reputed to be one of Yorkshire's most-haunted places, with tales of mischievous spirits throwing open doors, smashing bottles and even locking people in the toilets against their will.

One punter who has retained her fascination with the haunted building is Linzi Steer, who remembers coming to the pub with her Dad.

These days Linzi often pops in for a coffee with her husband Lee Steer in between running Project Reveal - Ghosts of Britain in which the pair investigate paranormal activities.

Linzi and Lee had been tasked by Starbucks to look into staff reports about the place being haunted.

“Without a doubt there’s spirits here,” said Linzi.

Lee added that Carbrook Hall hasn’t been investigated for 15 years.

The building is listed by Sheffield Council as an asset of community value, providing some protection against any plans for demolition or development.

Linzi said: “We sensed that the spirits were eager to talk to us. We even heard one say ‘the siege’, which is incredible knowing the Carbrook Hall was a meeting place during the siege of Sheffield Castle.

“Our specialist equipment was reacting quickly and with strength – the most we’ve seen in a while and in more than one room, including the wood panelled Oak Room where we often come to enjoy a Starbucks coffee. We would undoubtedly say this is the most haunted coffee shop in the UK.”

While there was a fire after Carbrook Hall pub closed the Oak Room and most of the remaining architecture is still intact.

The Oak Room - where Linzi and Lee Steer held a talk sharing their findings from the investigation as part of the launch of Starbucks Halloween Frappuccino - is twenty-two feet long by eighteen feet wide and panelled with original 17th century oak on three walls. The centrepiece of the room is a spectacular stone fireplace with an inscription that gives the building its Grade II listed status.