Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem

Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem is the oldest pub in England. Set into the ancient sandstone caves below Nottingham Castle, it was a favourite watering hole for crusaders on their way to the Holy Land. Not only is it one of the most haunted sites in Nottinghamshire, it also contains several ‘cursed’ objects, including a fertility chair- a chair that bestows pregnancy onto all (women!) who sit on it and the Cursed Galleon- the last three people to clean it have died, suddenly and mysteriously within 12 months of doing so. It is the largest of several hanging from the ceiling- they are said to be parting gifts from sailors who had made them to pass the time at sea- which makes sense as the River Trent was a major passage. The building is home to spectral and phantom noises. The Rock Lounge (also the home of the Galleon) is particularly full of activity- with keys having disappeared only to turn up later in odd places, glasses and bottles flying off the shelves and smashing. Wafts of perfume such as lavender or rose water occasionally fill the air, believed to be the Rose Lady, who haunts Nottingham Castle also. A group of tourists had once asked to see the cellars and saw two foot soldiers walk through a wall. Not only this; a medium who once visited the pub told the landlords that a clock on the wall was possessed by two evil spirits – a story which was vouched for by a previous landlady who owned two Dobermans, which barked and whimpered at the clock for no apparent reason. Another haunted happening was when two of the pubs regulars decided to spend the night in the Condemned Cell. They lasted twenty minutes and were violently sick afterwards.