Ghosts of Bradford pubs with chilling tales as Halloween comes

The Telegraph & Argus spoke to those running some of the spirited drinking holes and found out some horrifying but intriguing stories.

Donna Lowhan, manager at The Old Silent Inn, in Keighley, has heard many ghost stories in the pub and even had a chilling experience herself.

The Old Silent Inn, in Keighley (Image: Telegraph & Argus)

There’s the two mischievous children – Abigail and Thomas – who run up and down the corridor on a night, when car keys often go missing before returning a couple of hours later.

The pub rents upstairs rooms out to guests and there is said to be a gentleman who turns up in some of them.

But he only supposedly shows up for women.

Ms Lowhan said a group of folk singers from Australia came over once and were using tarot cards.

She added: “The day after, I went into the kitchen and a black figure was stood beside me.

“I’m sceptical but it wasn’t a nice feeling.”

The tales relate to the front of the building – the oldest part – and never the back, which Ms Lowhan said apparently burnt down and was rebuilt 30 years ago.

The White Swan, in Idle (Image: Telegraph & Argus)

Meanwhile, The White Swan, in the heart of Idle, has been around for 250 years, so you would expect some kind of ghostly spirit has wandered its corridors over the last two-and-half centuries.

There has been a sighting of a woman near the pub’s cellar door but Tyler Fry-Rodgers – the current landlady’s daughter – managed to get a recording of something potentially other-worldly.

Ms Fry-Rodgers has been at the pub five years and two years ago filmed a video of a mysterious woman singing while the building was completely empty, other than for herself.

She said: “It was quite creepy.

“I’d locked the pub up and one friend asked how creepy it was on a night, being by myself.”

Ms Fry-Rodgers told her friend that “it’s not that creepy” and began filming, only for her friend to shout “are you kidding” after noticing something horrifying.

The friend claimed to hear a woman singing and Ms Fry-Rodgers wondered if she had left the speakers on in the pub.

But a trip downstairs proved there was no music on at all.

Ms Fry-Rodgers said: “I wanted to get an investigator in but they’re hard to get.”

The Dog and Gun, in Oxenhope (Image: Telegraph & Argus)

Finally, The Dog & Gun, in Oxenhope, is known for its Julio Iglesias loving ghost.

Michael Roper, who has run the pub with his wife for 28 years, said something has kicked off downstairs a few times, with a Spanish singer being heard after closing.

He has never seen the cultured spirit himself but others have, with one customer claiming the ghost walked past when they were talking to Mr Roper.

Image of what a ghost might look like (Image: Pixabay)