The George

It is claimed that, in the distant past, a 19 year old boy had been stabbed in the pub stables and his phantom was responsible for causing mischief. Nicknamed "George", he is repsonsible for footsteps and has been blamed for phenomena such as letting cats out of a locked bedroom. The pub's website says that, "Both staff and guests have reported eerie happenings on the premises. Heavy footsteps are often heard echoing in the night when no one is around, and on occasion glasses have flown off shelves as if tossed by an unseen hand. A number of past landlords – and even animals – have been notably uneasy about the cellar, sometimes flat-out refusing to go down there. One former landlady (the aunt of a local historian) even claimed she once saw a mysterious figure sitting in a chair in the pub – only for the apparition to vanish, revealing no actual person was there. These tales have made The George a highlight on Hitchin’s ghost walks and paranormal investigations. The pub’s current landlord has shared truly hair-raising accounts of “things that go bump in the night” with visiting investigators. In the old vaulted cellar, one can view what appear to be bricked-up tunnels – local legend says secret tunnels run from The George to St. Mary’s Church and to Hitchin Priory, used in centuries past for discreet passage between key sites. During one ghost tour in The George’s cellar, participants even claimed to sense a ghostly presence lurking in the underground gloom. Whether one is a skeptic or a believer, such stories undeniably add to The George’s charm and mystique."

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