Ye Olde Starre Inne
York's oldest licensed pub haunted by Civil War soldiers and mysterious figures from its 17th-century past.
Ye Olde Starre Inne, licensed in 1644 and claiming to be York’s oldest pub, sits on Stonegate in the heart of the ancient city. The building’s history during the English Civil War has left it permanently haunted by the spirits of soldiers and civilians from that turbulent period. The pub served as a meeting place for Royalist supporters, and some believe the bloodshed of the era left permanent psychic impressions.
The most frequently reported apparitions are those of Civil War soldiers in period military dress, seen both inside the pub and in the narrow passageways leading to it. Witnesses describe seeing figures in Cavalier uniforms appearing solid and lifelike before vanishing without trace. Some staff members have reported encountering a particularly aggressive male spirit in the cellar, believed to be a soldier who may have died on the premises or in nearby conflict.
Additional paranormal activity includes phantom footsteps on the ancient stairs, the sound of sword fights echoing through empty rooms, and the smell of gunpowder manifesting without source. Objects move independently, particularly in the older sections of the building, and several witnesses have reported being touched or pushed by invisible hands. The combination of York’s layered history and the pub’s Civil War connections has created what paranormal investigators consider one of England’s most historically significant haunted locations. The spirits seem most active during anniversary dates connected to Civil War battles and sieges.