From pirate pubs to haunted hoovers: Bristol’s spookiest folklore

As the last sands of summer have officially run out, Autumn has descended upon us in all its cosy glory. Nestled in with some herbal tea and a new episode of The Vampire Diaries, it got us thinking… what myths is Bristol hiding?

In the name of journalistic integrity (and general intrigue), we climbed hills, explored pubs and ransacked the library in search of answers. Here’s what we found on our weird and wonderful exploration of Bristol’s hidden history. 

1. Bristol’s oldest pub

The first stop was Bristol’s longest-standing pub: The Hatchett Inn, licensed in 1606. Whispers of wild tales led us here, including the infamous myth that the 300-year-old door is bound with human skin. Doctor Who’s Lady Cassandra immediately sprang to mind, but we were met with a very tame-looking frame.

Legend has it that human skin came from executed prisoners, although this has never been validated. We later discovered from a lovely worker in Chaplin’s that pirates used to frequent the pub, including Blackbeard. If only those walls could talk… 

 2. The tale of Mother Pugsley’s well

Next up: M-shed, where a worker told us about the myth of Mother Pugsley’s well.

A quick library detour later, and there’s a Holy Wells guide revealing a map and the missing mythical backstory: in 1645, Mrs Pugsley’s Husband was killed by an enemy cannon just after their wedding ceremony while defending Prior’s Hill Fort from a Parliamentarian siege.  

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Heartbroken, she buried her husband by an old well where she cried for countless hours. It is said that people would travel miles to be enriched by Ms Pugsley’s tears. Unfortunately, we discovered on our travels that this well no longer exists, which is a shame because it sounds like an incredible hangover cure.  

 3. The Whiteladies of Durham Down

This one’s for the folklore girlies. The legend of Whiteladies Road, on which stood a tavern housing seven mysterious sisters during the 1500s. They only ever wore white (even during each other’s funerals, which is definitely a look) and all mysteriously died within the same two years of each other. They never married or had children, and each was well-known and loved throughout the area, living and dying in this tavern, and so it got its name, as well as the whole road.  

Throughout the years, locals have claimed sightings of these so-called ‘white ladies,’ as well as wanderers hearing their distant singing across the area now called the Durdham Downs, where they were all said to be buried.

So, the next time you find yourself wandering there, watch out for a flash of white passing around a corner and maybe don’t turn around.

4. The Highbury Vaults

Bristol pubs have always been the centre of chaos, but the Highbury Vaults takes it to another level, as it was once the site of medieval crime and punishment. 

Having spoken with the current pub workers, we found it was established in 1850 and was once used to lock away local prisoners within the downstairs vaults. These criminals were each served their final, sloppy, “death row” meal, before fulfilling their gruesome fates and being hanged in the common medieval spot, now the roundabout at the top of St Michael’s Hill.

Supposedly one of the most haunted spots in Bristol, hundreds of ghosts are said to be stuck here, their souls unable to pass peacefully onto the next life… 

5. Bristol’s nautical nightmare

Due to a sickening House of Anubis obsession as children, we still yearned for more secrets to be uncovered, which brings us to our evening Bristol ghost tour.  It is rumoured that SS Great Britain’s captain of 18 years, John Grey, died in mysterious circumstances after falling overboard, and to this day, people can still hear the scratching of his hobnail boots on deck.

Our tour guide also mentioned that he haunts the King William Ale house and calls out to you using your name as the temperature of the pub mysteriously drops. Shouting, loud footsteps and irregular temps. Sounds like an average night in Uni halls.  

 6. The Unite hoover

As a light-hearted bonus myth, we also learned on this tour of the “oppressive” and “evil” presence felt by a female cleaner in the Unite student building, which chased her around with an unplugged Henry Hoover. Truly, the level of spook needed to get us students cleaning.