London isn’t particularly thin on the ground when it comes to its haunted hangouts. With a backstory that’s filled to the brim with history and mystery in equal measure, our capital city boasts an abundance of spooky spots for us to head to in pursuit of a pint and some paranormal activity. But according to a new Haunted Pub Index, London’s most terrifying tavern of all can be found in the form of The Grenadier.
Tucked away down a series of surreptitious side streets, this Belgravia boozer is notoriously tricky to locate. The Grenadier dates all the way back to 1720 when it was initially built as the Officers’ Mess in the courtyard of an army barracks. And it has just been named one of the most haunted pubs in the entire country.
The Grenadier’s shiny (and rather spooky) new accolade comes courtesy of VELO, who put over 100 of the UK’s most haunted pubs under the microscope for the occasion. Based on the likes of reported ghosts, paranormal sightings, and Google review data, a list of Britain’s spookiest boozers was revealed. And The Grenadier found itself at number 8 on the list.
The Grenadier, Belgravia
The Grenadier was opened to the public as a watering hole in 1818. But back then, it was actually named The Guardsman. Its name change came following the Battle of Waterloo, when the brave actions of the grenadier guards warranted a pub being named in their honour. Located in one of the fanciest corners of the capital, it’ll come as no surprise that the pub has welcomes its fair share of famous faces over the years. But the pub is perhaps best-known for its haunted happenings and ghostly goings on.
The Grenadier is thought to be haunted by the ghost of a young grenadier named Cedric, who was beaten to death by his comrades after cheating in a game of cards. Plenty of eerily abnormal activity has been reported over the years, including the faint sound of footsteps, distant moaning, blurry figures appearing, ransom objects disappearing, and the smell of cigarette smoke. To this day, one of the pub’s most notable features is the sea of signed banknotes and dollar bills that adorns the ceiling, said to have been put there by previous patrons in an attempt to pay off the debt of poor Cedric.
The most haunted pubs in the UK:
- The Drovers Inn, Inverarnan
- The Golden Fleece, York
- The Ancient Ram Inn, Wotton-under-Edge
- The Skirrid Mountain Inn, Wales
- The Mermaid Inn, Rye
- The Banshee Labyrinth, Edinburgh
- The White Horse Inn, Pluckley
- The Grenadier, London
- The Bate Hall, Macclesfield
- The Red Lion, Avebury
đź“ŤYou’ll find The Grenadier at 18 Wilton Row, Belgravia, SW1X 7NR.
🚇 The nearest stations are Hyde Park Corner and Knightsbridge.
