The Royal Clarence (Closed)

At the time of writing, the hotel is being extensively refurbished following a catastrophic fire in 2016. The ghost of a Dutch captain who wanted to make amends with Sir Walter Raleigh - but who died before he could do so - is allegedly one of the phantoms here. It is said that he is heard coughing, and the story goes that Raleigh blew pipe smoke at the phantom! One version of the tale is that the spectral captain shook his fist and disappeared through the closed window. It is unclear whether this was the last sighting of this phantom. Another spectre is the Duchess of Clarence, seen sitting in a window waiting for her husband, who later became William IV, to return. The fourth floor rooms are said to play host to a screaming woman, her hair on fire (this predates the 2016 conflagration). Other phantoms include a tearful maid struggling up the stairs with a bucket of coal, and a man in an "old fashioned" night shirt. Recently, a guest heard a rumbling noise outside her window and saw a horse and cart being driven by a man in a three-cornered hat. The pub that is part of the hotel building also has some stories, including bottles falling off the shelves, and items being found strewn across the floor in the morning. Groaning and rasping noises have been heard issuing from the cellar, too.