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The Ghostly Hat Trick East Looe
"Well, you've come to the right place here then," boomed the
barman at the Bullers Arms in East Looe when Ghosthunter introduced himself.
"Yes," chipped in a regular propping up the bar. "There's just the ghost of a chance you'll get served before you die of thirst."
The barman gave the man a hard stare. "We've got some right funny spirits in here" he said. But he filled the man's glass calmly enough before turning back to talk to Ghosthunter.
"We've got our own ghosts," the barman continued. "I'd tell you all about it, but as you can see we're rather busy right now." He waved an arm around the packed room of drinkers and eaters enjoying the pub's hopitality. "But we've got it all written down here somewhere. We did a note on the pub some time back and included the ghosts." The barman rummaged around behind the bar, then disappeared upstairs and returned with a sheet of paper.
Ghosthunter ordered a pint of cider and a plate of sausage, egg and chips. Then he settled down to read. There was quite a bit about sourcing the food and drink from local suppliers (and jolly tasty the herbed sausages were too) and about the history of the pub. Then came the ghosts.
There are three of them. A hat trick of ghosts, as it were.
The first is sensed near the back door of the pub. He often opens toilet doors and the back door, letting them bang shut. He was a bookies' runner in the days when offcourse betting was illegal, and often used to dodge in and out of the pub avoiding the authorities and the landlord, whose wife he was rumoured to be seducing.
The second is a more playful spectre, he often stalks the bar, tapping shoulders on the way. He will also rearrange flowers, for which he appears to have a strange liking and may move the beer or belongings of someone who does not do things the Cornish way, "dreckly". He once threw a piece of cake from a freshly cut birthday cake across the room in front of many guests.
The third form of phantom activity is associated with the smuggling traditions of Looe. Muffled whispers can be heard late at night when the staff are clearing up the empty bar. These are thought to be the murmerings of phantom smugglers plotting their next enterprise. In the old days of the "fair traders", as they called themselves, the Bullers Arms was something of a centre for these men. It was here that they would meet to arrange rendezvous points and prices for their contraband. The pub was favoured because it was so small that any strangers, who might be informants for the Revenue Men, would have been easy to spot.
If you tap the slates at the window end of the pool table you will hear the hollow echoes of a former tunnel used by the smugglers to gain access to the beach.
Ghosthunter thanked the barman and prepared to leave. "They're no trouble, you know, our ghosts" said the barman. "They're just playful like. Not frightening at all, just a little frustrating at time."
"They're not the only ones," growled the regular at the bar staring into his empty glass.
The Bullers Arms is easy to find in East Looe, Cornwall. Having parked your car in the main car park of the village, walk down the main street which exits from the far left hand corner of the car park. The Bullers Arms is about 200 yards along this narrow street on the right hand side. For those of you who are more up with the 21st century, you can find the pub by surfing the net. Go to: www.bullers.great-pubs.com
