Review of Hereford's Gruesome Ghost Walk, October 2024

Whatever the outcome, I knew I wanted to learn about some of the city's ghostly tales. Hosted by Hereford City Life, with the ghost expert Rebecca Millman at hand, a large group of us were inducted into some of the historical happenings of the buildings.

Rebecca led the way, with her lantern in hand. (Image: Julia Baker) Leading the way with a spooky lantern, Rebecca took us on a huge tour of the city. 

We started off by meeting at the Cosy Club in Widemarsh Street to begin our ghostly endeavours, swiftly moving on to the haunted buildings the street had to offer. The first stop was outside the Wellington, where a ghost haunts the ladies' toilets, giving customers quite the fright on occasions.

The young apprentice is said to now favour haunting the lower floors. (Image: Julia Baker) We also took in the Black and White House in High Town, standing near to the bull statue listening to Rebecca explain the spooky tales that have been revealed about the building. Years ago, the grand historic building was said to be a butcher's shop, where a young apprentice worked. For unknown reasons, the young apprentice passed away, and for years haunted the upstairs rooms of the building. However, now he apparently prefers frequenting the lower floors, and has been described as a "nice ghost". However, he does tend to mess up the beds and make all the rooms untidy.

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The black and white floor is said to be haunted by its former apothecary. (Image: Julia Baker) Outside New Look, we took in the small black and white floor that can be seen by the shop. Years ago, this was once an apothecary, where a gruesome tale took place. In an accident, whilst sorting the different pills and medication, the apothecary gave the young apprentice a poisoned pill. However, it is not the apprentice that haunts the room, but the apothecary himself. Apparently, some have seen him peering from the top window, into the street. 

We also stood outside the Queen's Arms, the small, charming black and white pub on the edge of Broad Street. We heard that when Hereford was invaded by the Vikings in 1055, the building was used as a watch tower. Some have reported seeing a man haunt the building, in Anglo-Saxon dress, wandering around and looking to be on the lookout. The theory is he was on guard the night of the invasion, and has remained near the building ever since. 

By far one of the highlights of the evening was being welcomed into the Black Lion in Bridge Street- which is often referred to as Hereford's most haunted pub. The landlord, Peter, was kind enough to give us a tour of his living room.

In the living room, the paintings depicting the Ten Commandments being broken could be seen. (Image: Julia Baker) Incredibly, wall paintings from centuries ago depicting the Ten Commandments being broken were still on show, as Peter had lovingly preserved them.  Peter and Rebecca told us all about the paranormal sightings in the building. Including, a girl who is said to haunt the upstairs, looking for her shoes, and acting incredibly upset as someone has moved them. Eerily, Peter explained that years later when builders came to carry out work, they found a pair of small shoes behind one of the walls.

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These are just a few stand-out moments from the night's adventures. But if I had to choose my favourite part, I would say that what I enjoyed most about the tour, was Rebecca's natural ability to capture the whole group, transporting us back in time to relive the gruesome tales. Rebecca is well-versed and extremely knowledgeable when it comes to the history of Hereford and its ghostly goings-on. Despite having lived in the county for most of my life, there were many facts and stories I had no idea about, despite having walked the streets hundreds of times.

These haunted pit-stops were just a few of the many tales we heard. For anyone wanting the full experience,  to know a bit more about paranormal activity in the city, or just to understand some of the wonderful, historic building's history, I would highly recommend the tour. Contact Rebecca on historicherefordtours@gmail.com to book a place.