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Saint Anne’s Castle in Great Leighs, Essex, is one of the oldest pubs in England, with parts dating to the twelfth century.

The pub is associated with the legend of a local witch, Anne Hughes, who was executed in 1621 on Scrap Faggot Green (‘scrap faggot’ is an old Essex term for ‘witch’) and buried at the crossroads there with a stake through her heart and a heavy boulder on top of the grave to stop her spirit from finding its way back to the village. However, during the Second World War, American artillery trucks needed to pass through Great Leighs and moved the boulder. After that the witch apparently haunted the village and pub. One of her pranks was said to be swapping over the hens and ducks belonging to two local men during the night. A ghostly black cat which has been seen by several people over the years may belong to her.

A previous landlord of the pub had trouble with a storeroom which he could not keep tidy because items would be strewn around when no one was there. His dogs would not enter it, but the cat would. At that time drayman delivering supplies to the pub and a young girl visiting it both reported seeing a ‘thing’ that so upset them that they refused ever to cross the threshold again.

The current landlady has joined a ghosthunting group in an effort to learn more about the ghosts who are haunting her pub and has found out that there are a lot of them there, including a little girl with long blonde curly hair who likes cooking, a little boy who plays with her, several unfriendly monks, a woman called Elizabeth who walks around in her wedding dress, looking out of the window, and a man who sits in the bar smoking a pipe.

A ghost with a tragic story is that of George Harry Benfield, who lived in the village in the nineteenth century. He had five children, but found out that his firstborn, a son named Thomas, was his brother’s child. Horrified, he killed both his wife and son by tying a piece of rope around their necks, fixing it to a piece of wood and turning the wood until their necks broke. He was later tried and hanged in Chelmsford.

As well as all these ghosts, a variety of paranormal activity has been reported in the pub, with electrical equipment turning itself on and off of its own accord and items going missing and then turning up again exactly where they had been left. One room in particular has an overpowering feeling of death and sadness. It is no exaggeration to say that the St Anne’s Castle is one of the most haunted pubs in England.

The St Anne’s Castle, Main Road, Great Leighs, Essex CM3 1NE; Tel/Fax: (01245) 361253; Website: www.stannescastle.co.uk. Open all day every day.

Live music at weekends and an open mike night the first Tuesday of the month. Freshly cooked bar food and a takeaway service every lunchtime and evening.