The Brocket Arms
Ayot St Lawrence, Hertfordshire
Paranormal Tip: Book rooms near the bar area is the focal point: the execution hook remains visible for the best chance of supernatural encounters!
The Brocket Arms carries a reputation as Hertfordshire's most haunted pub. The primary haunting centres on a monk or Catholic priest whose fate is bound to the building itself. Multiple accounts of his death exist: one holds that he was tried and hanged from a hook in the bar following the Reformation; another that he took his own life in an upstairs room. A poem displayed behind the bar recounts how a mob strung him up from a beam. The hook remains visible in the bar today.
Witnesses describe the monk as short, wearing a dark brown hooded robe with his face concealed beneath the folds. His temperament is described as playful and affable rather than threatening. On at least one occasion, the figure appeared to be on fire, an apparition that carried physical consequences: a guest woke to find burn marks on the tops of her feet. During another encounter, the monk reportedly spoke to a guest, recounting details of the village's history.
Beyond the monk, several other presences have been documented. A small boy has been observed sitting by the inglenook fireplace, staring at patrons. The voice of a young girl singing has been heard in the toilets. An elderly woman has appeared in the bar area. A spectral dog has been spotted there too.
The building produces a catalogue of unexplained phenomena: thunderous bangs in the upstairs hallway, the sound of bare feet slapping on floorboards, security alarms triggered without cause, doors opening on their own, and lights switching off. These events occur throughout the building, from the bar to the guest rooms above.
The monk's appearances span the entire building. In the bar, where the hook from his reported execution protrudes from a beam, staff and customers have witnessed a short figure in a dark brown hooded robe. The face is never visible, always hidden beneath the deep folds of the cowl. The figure has been seen during daylight hours, standing and staring at people before vanishing. Several witnesses initially assumed the apparition was a person in costume until it disappeared.
The most disturbing encounter involved a guest who saw the monk engulfed in flames. That same night, the guest woke to discover unexplained burn marks on the tops of her feet. On a separate occasion, the monk engaged a guest in conversation, providing details about the village that the guest could not have known.
Room activity is concentrated but not confined to any single space. Guests in Room One, the four-poster bedroom, have reported the sensation of something sitting on the bed. Builders working in Room Three reported feeling watched and deeply uneasy. The upstairs corridor produces thunderous bangs and the sound of bare feet on boards.
Two child spirits have been reported independently. A small boy has been seen sitting in or beside the inglenook fireplace, watching people in the bar. He does not speak or move, simply stares. His identity and connection to the building are unknown.
A young girl's voice has been heard singing in the toilets. The singing is clear enough to be recognised as a child's voice but stops abruptly when investigated. No source has ever been found.
An elderly woman has been observed in the bar area on more than one occasion. A phantom dog has also been spotted there. Neither apparition interacts with the living.
A monk or Catholic priest, reportedly executed in the bar during the Reformation, haunts The Brocket Arms in Ayot St Lawrence. The hook from which he was hanged remains visible. Witnesses describe a short figure in a brown robe who has appeared on fire, left burn marks on a guest, and once spoken to a visitor about the village.
Beyond the famous phantom monk, The Brocket Arms harbours at least four additional presences: a small boy who sits by the inglenook fireplace, a girl whose singing voice echoes from the toilets, an elderly woman observed in the bar, and a spectral dog.
Medieval origins, timber frame dated to the early 16th century by Historic England (earlier 14th-century date claimed locally)
Monastic quarters associated with the adjacent Norman church of St Lawrence, later a stopping point for pilgrims travelling to St Albans Abbey
The Brocket Arms occupies a Grade II listed building (Historic England list entry 1101091) in the small Hertfordshire village of Ayot St Lawrence. The timber-framed structure dates to the early sixteenth century according to Historic England's official assessment, though local tradition places its origins in the fourteenth century, linking it to the Norman church of St Lawrence that stands in ruins directly opposite.
The building's earliest function was as monastic quarters serving the adjacent church. Following the Reformation, it transitioned to secular use and became a licensed premises. The earliest recorded licence dates to 1694, when it was held by Joseph Ewer under the name The Three Horseshoes. That name persisted for over two centuries.
The Brocket family connection runs deep. Sir John Brocket purchased the manors of Holmes and Ayot St Lawrence in July 1543. The family seat, Brocket Hall, sits roughly five miles away near Lemsford. The pub sign still displays the Brocket crest and its Latin motto, 'Felis demulcta mitis' ('A stroked cat is gentle'). The building was renamed The Brocket Arms around 1937.
The pub passed through several brewery hands: Wrights of Walkern held the lease until 1924, when Simpson's of Baldock took over. Greene King acquired Simpson's in 1954, and the pub eventually became a free house. A major refurbishment in 1979 under landlord Toby Wingfield-Digby added handpumps and a restaurant. Six ensuite bedrooms followed in the 1990s.
George Bernard Shaw lived barely 200 yards away at Shaw's Corner from 1906 until his death in 1950. The pub was his local, though he would have known it as The Three Horseshoes. The building retains its medieval character: exposed timber framing with brick nogging, an old tile roof, and a large seventeenth-century inglenook fireplace inside.
Medieval timber-framed building with painted brick and exposed framing with nogging. Features a long gable-ended two-storey range, external chimney stack, old tile roof, and a large 17th-century inglenook fireplace. Grade II listed (list entry 1101091).
Full apparitions (monk, boy, old lady, dog), phantom voices and singing, burn marks appearing on a guest, objects moving, security alarms triggered without cause, thunderous bangs, sound of bare feet on floorboards, doors opening unaided, lights switching off, sensation of being watched, feeling of something sitting on the bed, disembodied whispering and muttering
The bar area is the focal point: the execution hook remains visible, and the monk, old lady, and ghostly dog have all been observed there. The inglenook fireplace hosts the child apparition. Room One (four-poster bedroom) produces bed-disturbance phenomena. Room Three unsettles builders and guests with an oppressive watched feeling. The upstairs corridor generates banging and phantom footsteps. The toilets are where the girl's singing voice has been heard.
The pub's owner, Kelly Smalley, confirmed the haunting to HertsLive: 'One of the stories we have heard is that there is a monk here who hung himself. He seems to still be here and people have said they have seen him but he is friendly.' She has declined requests from paranormal investigators, preferring not to know specifics because she works alone at night. Guests have reported the burning monk apparition with accompanying physical burn marks. Multiple visitors have described the sound of bare feet slapping on upstairs floors. Builders renovating Room Three independently reported feeling watched and uneasy.
Ghost-detection groups visit the pub periodically, though the current owner has declined formal investigation requests. The Brocket Arms features on the Paranormal Database, Spooky Isles, Mysterious Britain and Ireland, Terror Tours, GhostPubs, and Haunted Isles. No televised paranormal investigation has been documented at the pub.
Ready to witness the paranormal activity firsthand? Book your stay and join the ranks of guests who've encountered the supernatural.
Book Your StayNo specific ghost packages advertised. The pub hosts seasonal events and serves as a base for exploring Ayot St Lawrence and Shaw's Corner (National Trust).
Grade II listed medieval building with limited accessibility. Free on-site parking available. Ground floor bar and restaurant. Contact pub directly for specific requirements.
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12 haunted sites, 0 attractions, and 0 ghost tours within 10-20 miles
Book your stay at The Brocket Arms and explore 12 haunted locations within walking or short driving distance.
Ayot St Lawrence and its surroundings contain a dense concentration of haunted sites within walking and driving distance of The Brocket Arms. From the ruins opposite the pub to a cursed wood and a chapel haunted by a historian who willed himself to return, this quiet corner of Hertfordshire holds more paranormal activity per square mile than most English counties.
Read Guide
The Brocket Arms has served Ayot St Lawrence for over five centuries, evolving from monastic quarters beside a Norman church to a licensed public house and country inn. Its history spans the Reformation, three centuries of brewing, a Nobel laureate neighbour, and a ghost that has never checked out.
Read HistoryBook your stay and experience The Phantom Monk and the other spirits firsthand. Many guests report paranormal encounters during their visits.