Brook Red Lion Hotel Hotel

High Street, Colchester, CO1 1DJ

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The Blue Boar Hotel Hotel

Silver Street, Maldon, Essex CM9 4QE

2-star (traditional inn with basic comforts, Grade II listed)

The Blue Boar's hauntings center on two primary spirits, each with distinct manifestation patterns and historical connections. The most frequently reported ghost is the Spectral Cat - a black phantom feline that has been consistently witnessed for decades. This spectral cat brushes against guests' legs in the bar area, darts through corridors, and appears on beds in guest rooms before vanishing. During 1970s renovations, workers discovered mummified cat remains sealed within the medieval walls, a protective practice that provides historical context for the ongoing feline hauntings. The second major spirit is the Lady in White, a Victorian-era female apparition dressed in light-coloured period clothing. She appears primarily in the front-facing upper rooms overlooking Silver Street, often standing by windows gazing out onto the street below. This manifestation may be connected to a documented carriage accident on Silver Street in the 1880s, where a young woman was reportedly carried into the Blue Boar following the incident but did not survive. Additional paranormal activity includes a possible former innkeeper spirit in the cellar areas, unexplained electrical phenomena, and various forms of interactive haunting behaviour that suggest intelligent spiritual presences rather than mere residual energy. The hotel's staff acknowledge these supernatural residents whilst maintaining professional service, and the building's 600-year history provides ample foundation for its reputation as one of Essex's most authentically haunted establishments.

Spirits: Spectral Cat, Lady in White...

The Green Man Hotel

Mulberry Green, Old Harlow, Essex CM17 0ET

3-star equivalent (pub hotel, historic coaching inn)

The Green Man’s legend centers on a heartbroken mother and child. According to folklore, a woman in the eighteenth century, desperate for a baby, engaged in an illicit affair with a local blacksmith. She bore a daughter, but tragically the infant perished in a fire shortly after birth. Today, the grieving mother’s ghost is said to wander the 600-year-old inn, eternally searching for her lost child. Staff refer to her simply as “the Grey Lady of Mulberry Green.” Her presence is marked by sobbing sounds at night and a fleeting female figure seen near rooms and on the staircase. Occasionally, the faint cry of a baby is also reported echoing through the halls (despite no infants on site), reinforcing the tale that the mother and child haunt the inn together. This poignant story – more tragedy than terror – is well-known in Harlow, making the Green Man a local ghost lore landmark.

Spirits: The “Bereaved Mother of Mulberry Green” (a sorrowful female spirit) and her infant child’s ghost

The Mistley Thorn Hotel Hotel

High Street, Mistley, Essex CO11 1HE

4-star (restaurant with rooms, historic coaching inn)

The Mistley Thorn's spectral notoriety stems from multiple tragic events connected to its history. The dominant presence is Matthew Hopkins, the infamous Witchfinder General who owned the original inn in the 1640s and conducted his brutal witch trials from this location. His ghost appears as a tall, cloaked figure in Puritan dress, particularly around the anniversary of his burial (August 12). The hotel is also haunted by a Georgian-era serving girl who continues her eternal duties, walking the corridors and maintaining the rooms as she did in life. Most tragic is the spirit of a young boy who was killed when pushed under a horse's hooves during a fight in the inn's stables - his presence is felt in the rear areas of the building. Additionally, the spirits of Hopkins's victims linger nearby, with phantom screams heard from Hopping Bridge where witch trials were conducted. These multiple hauntings create an unusually active paranormal environment that extends from the hotel to the surrounding village landmarks.

Spirits: Matthew Hopkins (the 17th-century Witchfinder General), The Serving Girl (Georgian-era hotel staff)...

The Rose and Crown Hotel

East Street, Colchester, Essex CO1 2TZ

3-star (Best Western, Historic Inn)

This centuries-old inn hosts multiple well-documented spirits with detailed witness accounts. The most beloved is 'Val', a little elderly woman in Victorian-era black dress who managed the bar in the early 1900s. Staff regularly see her walking from the bar toward reception before vanishing, with one housekeeper casually noting 'Oh yeah, I know her! I see her all the time.' The White Lady Bride is a more mysterious figure, first documented in the 1950s when night porter Frank saw her on the main staircase wearing a flowing white lace wedding dress, pearl necklace and earrings, and a red flower in her hair. A decade later, another porter saw the identical apparition with no knowledge of the previous sighting. Recent paranormal investigations by Essex Ghost Hunters in 2022 allegedly made Ouija board contact with a spirit calling herself 'Elizabeth', possibly identifying the bride. Beyond these apparitions, extensive poltergeist activity plagues the hotel: televisions spontaneously turning on for over 30 years across different room types and TV models, unexplained footsteps in empty corridors, mysterious bed disturbances including sheets being tucked in while guests sleep, confetti appearing on visitors during wedding tours, and guests experiencing phantom bed companions. The hotel's basement prison cells add another supernatural dimension, with staff reporting oppressive atmospheres and the sensation of being watched.

Spirits: Val the Lady in Black (former early 20th-century bar manager), the White Lady Bride (possibly 'Elizabeth')...