THE nation’s “most haunted pub” where taps turn on by themselves and unknown figures appear in the background has been disclosed.
Just a few minutes from London’s Hyde Park, a ghost called Cedric supposedly spooks punters by playing tricks on customers and staff.
Peter JordanThe ceiling of the Grenadier pub near Hyde Park is covered in bank notes to ‘pay off’ the ghost of a soldier[/caption]
Peter JordanThe myth goes that the young man was beaten to death in the cellar of the pub[/caption]
Peter JordanEver since ghost hunters have flocked to the tiny tavern to get a look for themselves[/caption]
The Grenadier in Belgravia is a former officers’ mess tucked away down a cobbled mews.
It is said to have both a celebrity and royal clientele, having reportedly attracted the likes of Prince William, as well as Brad Pitt, Lady Gaga and Madonna, as well as billionaire Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Unlike most old city pubs, it is not just home to tiled fireplaces and red leather couches.
According to some, the tiny tavern hosts a former junior Grenadier Guard.
The story goes that the young man was caught cheating at a game of cards one evening in September 1818.
After his comrades beat him to death in the cellar, Cedric’s ghost never left.
Customers believing in the supernatural now flock to the pub with the hope of talking to him.
One staff member, who has worked at the boozer for 10 years, told The Sun: “We definitely have people coming in who believe the pub is haunted.
“They all have their stories.
“Some say they’ve seen a figure appearing in the building after closing. Others say they’ve witnessed strange events – like the taps turning on by themselves in the bathroom.
“A few years ago, there was a family who took a photo in front of a mirror. They said there was a figure in the photo.
“That mirror has since been taken down.”
The bartender said that some customers visit the pub with the specific intention of contacting Cedric.
He explained: “We have a group of ‘Ghostbusters’ who come in regularly. They bring their Ouija Board and try to talk to Cedric.
“According to them, there is more than one ghost here.
“Other people get scared, though. They’re on edge.
“We’ve had people start working here who get nervous once they hear the story.”
One regular customer, Justin Mitchell, said he had never had an experience with Cedric – but had met plenty of other punters who believed they had.
The 42-year-old dad, who was on holiday in London from Houston, Texas, said: “I always pop in here when I’m in London as I got married around the corner.
“Personally, I’ve never had a ghostly experience here. And I’ve been the only person at the bar before.
“But over the years I’ve met people who believe. Some people congregate here especially – to try contact the ghost.
“And everyone who comes in here hears the story. I expect people will continue visiting for that very reason.”
‘He seems to be a friendly ghost’
“He seems to be a friendly ghost. He has never done anything nasty”, said Paul Hongett, former deputy manager, in 2015.
Speaking to the Independent, he believes he once spotted Cedric, but only for a brief instant.
“It was just a black figure. It was too dark to notice any facial features”, he recalled. “I have never felt scared, really.”
He said besides glasses breaking and icy chills, one day a staff member was setting a table up alone – but when he came back the chairs had all been moved to the other room.
The ceilings and walls of the boozer are covered by foreign currencies stapled to it, and newspaper cuttings spread all around the front room.
Punter Gary Wright previously explained the money is “recognition of the story”, with some people believing “they are effectively paying off the debt”.
We moved into our dream Victorian house but it turned into a four-year nightmare – my husband feared for his life
By Josh Saunders
A SPOOKED couple claim they were haunted by a pervy poltergeist who became obsessed with the wife and tried to suffocate to husband to “get rid of him”.
Samantha and Rich Perry were plagued for four years by the paranormal presence after moving into an old Victorian house, in Burton-on-Trent, Staffs.
They claim the spirit, who identified himself as Sir William, professed his love for Samantha, watched her shower and even touched her while she was in bed.
She says the ghost was trying to get rid of Rich, who felt a “big weight” on his chest while he tried to sleep and found his mind was flooded with suicidal thoughts.
They called in spiritual medium Ian Griffiths, who had to pass over the “evil and nasty” being twice before he finally forced him to the light.
Relieved Samantha tells The Sun: “Sir William instantly told me he didn’t like my husband Rich and hated him with a passion.
“On our Ouija board, he was saying he was going to get rid of my husband and used to put heavy pressure on his chest at night to make it harder for him to breathe.
“He would make Rich feel so agitated he had to get out of bed and then would get in bed with me and touch my back. I could feel his energy, I felt tingly and uneasy.
“There was nothing sexual towards me but it was really creepy. Later Ian explained he was obsessed with me and wanted me all to himself.
“He would put ‘I love you’ and ‘You’re mine’ when I tried to communicate with him and would spell out ‘Mama’ to try to scare us.”
Samantha, who runs supernatural shop The Witch’s Coven, felt “something was a bit off” three months after moving to her new home with Rich back in 2019.
She noted they were regularly “very snappy” with each other for no reason and felt “zapped of all energy and motivation”, which the couple blames on the spirit.
Later, when trying to communicate with Sir William, Samantha says he told her he “used to perform black magic and worshipped the devil” while living in the property.
Two years into the hauntings, the couple brought in a Catholic priest to “bless the house” and he claimed “the Lord’s Prayer would be enough” to rid the spirit.
However, once the clergyman left, the couple claim Sir William “was 100 per cent worse” and became “increasingly obsessed” with Samantha.
She became Sir William’s target and claims to have felt the spirit watch her undress and while she was in the shower.
Her partner Rich, 35, was also affected too and says the ghost was trying to make it hard for him to breathe.
While the tattoo artist initially dismissed the haunting moments as “funny”, soon things got worse.
Speaking about the spirit’s pervy actions, Rich tells us: “I found it quite amusing and so I laughed it off but then the intensity increased.
“While I felt bad for Samantha, knowing she was finding it uncomfortable, there was nothing I could do.
“If it was a living person I’d be fuming but because it was a spirit I had to laugh it off a bit. It didn’t make me angry.”
Rich recalls being forced out of bed at night because he felt “a big weight” on his chest that made it “difficult to breathe”, believed to have been caused by the spirit.
He says: “My chest was tight and I could feel this pressure, it was like someone was sitting on my chest. It was weird.
“I got to the point one night when I was lying in bed and had enough so I encouraged him to try to possess me.
“Samantha was panicking but I thought, ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’
“I felt a tingling run through my head, like pins and needles, but then it stopped.
“He never did it again after that. He didn’t have enough power to be able to take over and possess me.”
Relief came for the couple after psychic medium and ordained minister Ian Griffiths, 56, visited Samantha’s shop in nearby Swadlincote, back in May.
After discussing her problems with the care home worker, who has 25 years of experience in the paranormal world, he offered them his services.
Ian, who doesn’t charge people and does the work in his spare time, visited the couple’s home to try to “cross him over”.
The psychic medium tells us: “He was obsessed and infatuated with Samantha. I could feel there was an evilness and nastiness to him.
“During his life, he was probably a bitter and nasty person, and when a person dies that carries on.
“He was angry because it was his house. He believed he belonged there. Some spirits don’t cross over and others don’t want to cross over.
“I used my spirit guides, two hooded monks, a little bit like in the film Ghost to push him to the other side.”
While Ian thought he had succeeded in ridding Samantha and Rich of the spirit, the ghoul returned to haunt her the next day at her workplace.
She recalls: “I noticed I was feeling really p***ed off and taking it out on everyone, I just didn’t feel myself and then I got this feeling that Sir William was back.”
Samantha did some automatic writing – a practice where people allow ghosts to manipulate their hand and write sentences – and she says he made her write “Ha, ha” and “I love you”.
“I was like for ‘God’s sake’ and messaged Ian, thankfully he was able to sort it and we’ve not had any issues since,” she says.
Peter JordanThe bartender said that some customers visit the pub with the specific intention of contacting Cedric[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
