The Spaniards Inn

Standing on Spaniards Road since 1585, The Spaniards Inn is one of London’s oldest and most haunted pubs, forever associated with the notorious highwayman Dick Turpin who used the establishment as his base of operations. Turpin would stable his legendary horse Black Bess in the pub’s stables while he robbed wealthy travelers crossing Hampstead Heath. His ghost has been seen numerous times in the vicinity of the pub, sometimes appearing as a shadowy figure watching from the old stable areas, other times as a full apparition in 18th-century riding clothes standing at the bar before vanishing. Witnesses have reported hearing the distinctive sound of a horse galloping at speed along the road outside, particularly on foggy nights, though no horse is ever seen when they look.

The pub’s most violent haunting involves the ghost of a former landlord who was murdered on the premises during the 18th century. According to legend, the landlord caught his wife in an affair and killed her lover in a fit of rage, only to be murdered himself in revenge. His spirit is said to roam the building in torment, and staff have reported being pushed down stairs by invisible hands, experiencing sudden violent headaches in certain rooms, and feeling an overwhelming sense of anger and jealousy emanating from particular areas of the pub. The upper floors are especially active, with guests in the accommodation rooms reporting furniture moving, doors slamming repeatedly, and the apparition of a man with a bloodied chest standing silently at the foot of beds.

The Spaniards Inn’s literary connections add another layer to its supernatural reputation, Lord Byron, Shelley, and Keats all frequented the establishment, and some believe their creative energies left an imprint on the building. The pub’s garden is said to be haunted by a woman in white who appears on summer evenings, walking among the tables before dissolving into the twilight. During the Gordon Riots of 1780, the pub’s landlord famously delayed an angry mob with free drinks, saving Kenwood House from destruction, and some claim the grateful spirits of Kenwood’s residents protect The Spaniards Inn from harm, creating benevolent supernatural guardians alongside the more menacing entities that haunt its ancient rooms.