The Mermaid Inn
Rye, East Sussex
Paranormal Tip: Book rooms near room 16 (elizabethan bedchamber) where the duelling swordsmen appear for the best chance of supernatural encounters!
The Mermaid Inn carries one of the most concentrated paranormal reputations of any hotel in England, with documented activity in at least seven of its 31 rooms. The duelling swordsmen of Room 16, the Elizabethan Bedchamber, have been described as one of the most well-organised ghostly scenarios anywhere in the country. Two men in doublets and hose are witnessed fighting with rapiers through several of the inn's rooms before one kills the other. The body of the vanquished man is then dragged into an adjacent room and thrown down a secret passage into the oubliette below. A night-vision camera has captured a shadow figure in the room's corner, and silhouettes have been observed against the closed curtains when the room was unoccupied. The Lady in White, one of the inn's most frequently reported apparitions, has been seen in Room 5 (Nutcracker Suite) walking through the room and stooping at the foot of the bed, and in Room 1 (James) sitting quietly by the fireplace. In Room 1, guests have also found their clothing left on a chair soaking wet with no identifiable water source, and a couple witnessed a family walking through a solid wall. Room 17 (Kingsmill), named after executed Hawkhurst Gang leader Thomas Kingsmill, produces sudden temperature drops, a rocking chair that moves on its own, and photographic orbs that have left chambermaids refusing to work alone. In Room 19 (Hawkhurst Suite), an American guest woke to find a gentleman in period clothing sitting calmly on her bed. In Room 10 (Fleur De Lys), a bank manager and his wife watched a man walk through the bathroom wall, cross the room, and disappear through the opposite wall. Room 15 (Dr Syn's Bedchamber), which contains a secret stairway concealed behind a bookcase, has produced lighted orbs captured on film equipment and a seance that reportedly made contact with an entity accompanied by a dog. The Hawkhurst Gang's violent occupation of the inn during the 1730s and 1740s has left residual activity in the Giants' Fireplace Bar and cellars, where a barman witnessed bottles falling from a shelf by the fireplace with no physical cause. In Room 3 (Moreton), a guest reported being kicked in the back while his wife was in the shower, followed by an unexpected sensation of well-being.
Room 16, the Elizabethan Bedchamber, hosts the inn's most dramatic haunting. Two men in doublets and hose appear fighting with rapiers. The combat moves through several rooms as the men press their advantage and retreat in turn. The sequence ends when one swordsman overcomes the other. The victor then drags the body of the dead man into an adjacent room and throws it down a secret passage into the oubliette below. Actress Kiki Kendrick and her husband Robin were woken at around four in the morning by the sounds of a violent struggle: huffs and puffs and the sounds of clashing knives. A night-vision camera captured the shadow of a figure in the corner. Silhouettes have been observed against the closed curtains when the room was unoccupied.
A female figure in white has been seen in Room 5 (Nutcracker Suite), where she walks through the room and stoops at the foot of the bed, and in Room 1 (James), where she sits quietly by the fireplace and is sometimes described as the Lady in Grey. In Room 1, guests have also found clothing left on a chair soaking wet with no water source nearby, and a couple witnessed a family walking through a solid wall.
Named after Hawkhurst Gang leader Thomas Kingsmill, Room 17 produces sudden temperature drops, a rocking chair that moves on its own, and orbs captured in photographs. Chambermaids have refused to work alone in this room.
An American guest woke to find a gentleman in old-fashioned clothing sitting on her bed. A clairvoyant visiting the room sensed a strong personal connection between certain pieces of furniture and the owner's family.
A bank manager and his wife watched a man walk through the bathroom wall, cross the room, and pass through the opposite wall.
Film crew equipment detected moving lighted orbs invisible to the naked eye. A seance conducted in the room reportedly made contact with an entity in the corner, accompanied by a dog. Participants reported tactile contact.
A guest reported being kicked in the back while his wife was in the shower. The experience was followed by an unexpected sensation of well-being.
A barman witnessed bottles falling from the shelf by the fireplace with no physical cause. Cold spots occur near the former tunnel entrances in the cellars. Guests have reported hearing the murmur of conversation and scraping of chairs from empty rooms.
Room 15 at The Mermaid Inn, known as Dr Syn's Bedchamber, has produced unexplained light phenomena captured on film equipment and a seance that reportedly made contact with an entity accompanied by a dog.
Two men in doublets and hose fight with rapiers through the rooms of The Mermaid Inn before one kills the other and throws the body down a secret passage into an oubliette below.
A bank manager and his wife watched a man walk through the bathroom wall of Room 10 at The Mermaid Inn, cross the room, and pass through the opposite wall.
The residual energy of the Hawkhurst Gang's violent occupation of The Mermaid Inn manifests as poltergeist activity, light anomalies and a pervasive atmosphere of menace in the bar and cellar areas.
An American guest in Room 19 at The Mermaid Inn woke to find a gentleman in old-fashioned clothing sitting calmly on her bed. A clairvoyant later sensed a strong personal connection between the room's furnishings and the owner's family.
Room 17 at The Mermaid Inn, named Kingsmill after the Hawkhurst Gang leader, produces sudden temperature drops, a rocking chair that moves on its own, and photographic anomalies that have left chambermaids refusing to work alone.
A spectral woman in white has been seen in at least two rooms at The Mermaid Inn. In Room 5 she walks through the room and stoops at the foot of the bed. In Room 1 she sits quietly by the fireplace.
Medieval (cellars from 1156, main structure rebuilt 1420, 16th-century additions)
Alehouse and inn serving the port of Rye
The Mermaid Inn is one of the most historically significant inns in the south of England. Its cellars date from 1156, making them among the oldest surviving inn structures in the country. The original building was constructed from wattle and daub, lath and plaster, and operated as an alehouse that brewed its own beer and charged a penny per night for lodging. Rye was a thriving Cinque Port, and the inn served sailors arriving at the harbour as well as ships provisioning for the Cinque Ports Fleet. In the 1420s, the building was entirely rebuilt whilst retaining the Norman cellars beneath. Further renovations during the 16th century added Tudor-style elements that remain visible today. Catholic priests fleeing the Continental Reformation in the 1530s sheltered at the inn, leaving behind the inscription J.H.S. (Jesus Hominum Salvator) carved into the oak panelling of what is now known as Syn's Lounge. Between 1550 and 1570, the Town Corporation held official functions at the inn including the Sessions Dinner, the Gentlemen's Freeman's Dinner, Mayoring Day and the Herring Feast. The building's most notorious chapter came in the 1730s and 1740s when the Hawkhurst Gang, a violent network of smugglers controlling territory from Kent to Dorset, used the Mermaid Inn as a secondary stronghold alongside their main base at the Oak and Ivy Inn in Hawkhurst. The gang operated with complete impunity, sitting openly at the inn's windows with loaded pistols on the table before them while no magistrate dared to interfere. Secret tunnels connected the cellars to the Old Bell Inn on The Mint, with a revolving cupboard at the tunnel's end providing a swift escape route. By 1770, the building ceased operating as an inn, and by 1847 it was in use as a private house owned by Charles Poile. In 1913, May Aldington, mother of novelist Richard Aldington, acquired the property and ran it as a club. Dame Ellen Terry, Lord Alfred Douglas, A.C. and E.F. Benson, and Rupert Brooke all frequented the establishment during this period. Canadian officers were garrisoned at the inn during the Second World War in 1945, and a Canadian officer named L. Wilson later purchased the building. In 1982, the Queen Mother attended a luncheon at the inn when she was named Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. The exterior featured in the 1983 film Yellowbeard, which proved to be Marty Feldman's final project. The inn has been owned by Judith Blincow since 1993.
Black and white timber-framed medieval construction with Tudor additions, featuring dark oak beams, carved Caen stone chimney pieces, diamond-paned leaded windows and jettied upper storey
Full-body apparitions, phantom rapier fighting, shadow figures on camera, silhouettes in unoccupied rooms, objects falling from shelves, unexplained light anomalies and orbs, cold spots, self-rocking chair, wet clothing appearing without water source, figures walking through walls, being kicked by unseen force, tactile contact during seance, disembodied footsteps, sensation of being watched
Room 16 (Elizabethan Bedchamber) where the duelling swordsmen appear, Room 5 (Nutcracker Suite) and Room 1 (James) where the Lady in White is seen, Room 17 (Kingsmill) with the rocking chair, Room 19 (Hawkhurst Suite), Room 10 (Fleur De Lys), Room 15 (Dr Syn's Bedchamber), Room 3 (Moreton), the Giants' Fireplace Bar, the cellars and former tunnel entrances
Staff and guests have reported encounters spanning decades. Actress Kiki Kendrick and her husband Robin described being woken at 4am by the sounds of a violent duel with huffs and puffs and clashing knives in the Elizabethan Bedchamber. A barman witnessed bottles falling from a shelf by the fireplace. An American guest in Room 19 woke to find a gentleman in period clothing on her bed. A bank manager and his wife in Room 10 both watched a figure walk through the walls. Chambermaids refuse to work alone in Room 17. Night-vision camera footage captured a shadow figure in Room 16. The Most Haunted television programme investigated the inn and documented their findings. A contemporary 18th-century resident of Rye provided the earliest documented account of the Hawkhurst Gang's presence at the inn.
The Mermaid Inn has been the subject of an investigation by the television programme Most Haunted. Night-vision cameras have captured shadow figures in Room 16. Film crew equipment recorded light anomalies in Room 15. The events in Room 16 have been described by paranormal researchers as one of the most well-organised ghostly scenarios anywhere in the country. The inn's management acknowledges the supernatural activity as an integral part of the building's documented history.
Ready to witness the paranormal activity firsthand? Book your stay and join the ranks of guests who've encountered the supernatural.
Book Your StayThe inn's restaurant holds an AA Rosette and serves British and French cuisine. The building features medieval-style artwork by the Slade School of Fine Art. Room 16, the Elizabethan Bedchamber, is available to book and is the most actively haunted room. Dr Syn's Bedchamber features a secret stairway concealed behind a bookcase.
Limited accessibility due to the building's medieval construction including uneven floors, low beams and narrow staircases. Located on the cobbled Mermaid Street.
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12 haunted sites, 0 attractions, and 0 ghost tours within 10-20 miles
Book your stay at The Mermaid Inn and explore 12 haunted locations within walking or short driving distance.
Rye is one of the most concentrated paranormal locations in the south of England. The Mermaid Inn sits at its centre, surrounded by haunted buildings, ancient churches and sites of documented violence within walking distance.
Read Guide
From Norman cellars to smugglers' stronghold to literary gathering place, The Mermaid Inn has survived fire, invasion and occupation across nearly 900 years of continuous history in the Cinque Port of Rye.
Read HistoryBook your stay and experience The Spirits of Dr Syn's Bedchamber and the other spirits firsthand. Many guests report paranormal encounters during their visits.