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Spooky Stories For Samhain

The Holly Bush on Elstree Hill

The oldest building in the area is bound to have the odd ghost or two, and so there is one well-known story from The Holly Bush on Elstree Hill.  Dating from around 1450 the building was originally centred on an open hall which became two storeys when fireplaces were introduced.

The first mention of it as an Inn was in 1786 when it was bought by brewery owner Thomas Clutterbuck and managed by a John Green. It became an important staging post for the coaches from London to St Albans, and was extended and developed over the years. Since the building was constructed the road level has risen, causing customers to step down into the bar.  Many of the original beams exist, including those supposedly coming from Newgate Prison, and the original inglenook fireplace. 

The pub was extended in the 1980s when the coaching arch was removed and the outside toilets moved to the rear of the pub. Recent conversion to a nursery has maintained the structure of the Grade II listed building, and maybe its ghost.  Trixie Cadle, landlady in 1970, awoke one night to see the outline of a man’s head and shoulders in the dark. The image disappeared when she switched the light on. Sometime later, her husband Raymond heard the stairs creaking and the bedroom door open but when he switched the light on, there was nobody there. A bearded man was also seen and his slow footsteps heard wandering around.  The Inn consequently featured in an episode of Most Haunted.