Haunted houses: The Ancient Ram Inn, England

Due to the measures surrounding the coronavirus, there are almost to no outings to visit in the coming time. But we do want to make you happy with our blogs. Before joining OpstapmetLisa, I had a blog about creepy places around the world. I especially love the history behind certain houses and stories! Because our blog about real haunted houses in the Netherlands was read a lot by you, we are now making a series about haunted houses in the world. Because there is a lot of haunting going on all over the world. This week it the haunted house of haunted houses as far as I am concerned. This story sparked my love for haunted houses.

Gloucestershire: English ghost town

Gloucestershire is teeming with haunted houses and haunted castles. One of them, The Ancient Ram Inn, has stood in the town since 1145. It was built to provide shelter for workmen engaged in building the local church. This 850-year-old inn has had many owners over the centuries. John Humphries cared for his beloved place with heart and soul from the 1960s until his death in 2017. He turned it into a bed-and-breakfast. Unfortunately, it could not hold that position for long, as most guests left the inn screaming the first night. And that is not the work of a single mind….

John Humphries

John Humphries himself was not very accepted by the spirits either. Some were even downright aggressive toward him. For example, the first night he slept at his inn, he was pulled out of bed by his legs and his bedroom window was banged on all night. John was not so quick to chase away and he hung a huge wooden cross in his room to chase away the bad spirits. That helped! The banging on his window stopped (but continued in another room) and he was able to sleep through the night normally.

John also loved antiques. His whole house was full of them. One day he bought a painting depicting a Reverend John Wesley. When he wanted to hang it in the stairwell, spirits went wild. Doors, which had been locked for years, swung open, all the windows were banged on, and John’s daughter’s dog no longer dared to go up the stairs. He just took it off the wall again, because it was not a success.

Pagan ground

During renovations in the basement, John stumbled upon two children’s skeletons. Some further investigation revealed that the inn was built on Pagan Ground, and these children had apparently been sacrificed. Ever since John found the children’s skeletons, there had been continuous, plaintive crying at night. He was at his wit’s end. Until someone gave him the tip to put stuffed animals in the inn. So he put a teddy bear in every room. That, too, helped! The children stayed quiet from then on. Besides the sound of children crying, a little girl named Rosie was also a frequent visitor. Rosie apparently appreciated the hugs, too, because she was rarely observed anymore.

Incubus

You have ghosts of all shapes and sizes. Most are scary, but otherwise harmless. An incubus, however, is a different story. This spirit has also been the reason why The Ancient Ram Inn is no longer a bed-and-breakfast. This is because an Incubus is a sex demon, in this case a male one. You also have a female version, namely a succubus. Female guests were literally besieged by this spirit in the night because this spirit feeds on female hormones. One woman even jumped out the window causing her minor injuries. It could no longer go on like this. Now only people who know what they are getting into are allowed to spend the night there.

Fortunately also nice spirits

Fortunately, not all ghosts are equally aggressive. In The Witch’s Room, the spirit of a “witch” sentenced to death in the 16th century haunts the inn. She fled into the inn after the sentence was passed against her. Unfortunately, the woman was found and still burned at the stake, but she is kind. Also, the ghost of a girl (not Rosie) is often seen in this room. She is often seen waving at the window.

In The Bishop’s Room, a small Cavalier King Charles dog is often seen in the corner and the spirits of two monks and a nun are seen. In this room, by the way, soon no one wanted to sleep because a woman regularly appeared from the ceiling (hanging by the legs) and a man was seen kneeling in front of the fireplace while moaning heartbreakingly. It turned out that someone had been pushed headfirst into the fireplace.

Open for private tours

Today, John Humphries’ daughter owns the inn. She allows archaeologists into the inn so they can conduct historical research. Furthermore, it is possible to take a paranormal tour of the inn and even stay the night. But be warned! This is just a sampling of the spirits that are in the inn. Would you dare to spend a night here?

photo highlighted: Ray Bird