The Angel
Historic coaching inn haunted by phantom stagecoaches, horses, and travelers from centuries of weary journeys.
The Angel in Islington has stood at this major crossroads since 1638, serving as one of London’s most important coaching inns on the Great North Road. For centuries, it was the last or first stop for travelers making the long journey to and from London, and the building witnessed countless arrivals, departures, farewells, and reunions. Though the modern pub no longer serves coaches, the ghosts of those bygone days reportedly continue their eternal journeys.
The most dramatic manifestation is the phantom stagecoach itself. Multiple witnesses over the years have reported hearing—and sometimes seeing—a spectral coach pulling up outside the pub, complete with the sound of horses’ hooves on cobblestones, the creaking of leather and wood, and the calls of coachmen. The apparition appears most commonly in the early morning hours or late at night, times when coaches would have arrived. Some witnesses report seeing shadowy figures dismounting and walking toward the building, only to vanish before reaching the door. The phantom horses can sometimes be heard whinnying and stamping in an area where the old stables once stood.
Inside the building, staff and patrons report encounters with various ghosts from different eras of the inn’s history. These include travelers in period costume appearing briefly in corridors and rooms before vanishing, the sound of hurried footsteps on stairs and in passages, and doors opening and closing on their own as if people are constantly coming and going. Some witnesses describe seeing a woman in Georgian dress standing at upstairs windows, apparently watching and waiting for someone who never arrives. Objects move on their own, particularly luggage and bags left unattended, as if invisible porters are still moving them about. The smell of horses, leather, and old smoke occasionally permeates certain areas despite modern cleaning. Some visitors report experiencing overwhelming feelings of anticipation or farewell, possibly residual emotions from the countless travelers who passed through over the centuries.