There’s no shortage of things to do in London this October, with exhibitions, festivals and openings packing out the calendar. But as the evenings darken and the leaves start to turn, the city takes on a slightly eerier feel. Spooky season has officially arrived and what’s better than settling down with a drink and hearing a ghost story? Just ask Daniel Craig, whose new Clerkenwell pub arrived with one resident he just might not have bargained for.
Celeb-Owned Haunted Pubs in London
Words by
Bo Frampton
16th October 2026
From Daniel Craig’s newly acquired Clerkenwell boozer to Sir Ian McKellen’s riverside tavern, these celebrity-owned pubs come with centuries of history and possibly a poltergeist with every pint.
Daniel Craig at The Ivy ©Getty Images
The former 007, who grew up in his family’s pubs in Cheshire, has joined forces with Soho House founder Nick Jones; Charlie Carroll, the man behind Flat Iron and The Devonshire; and Justin O’Shea, creative director of Bad Belze, the beer brand Craig launched with him earlier this year, to take on The Horseshoe in Clerkenwell. The sale, however, came with a partner no one quite expected: a ghost. Pauline Tucker, who ran The Horseshoe with her husband Richard for 36 years, told The Times that the cellar belongs to Gilbert, a former local hangman. “You don’t see him. You feel him,” she said. Craig took the news in stride: “I don’t know what he drinks but we might have to leave a pint down there: ‘Here you are Gilbert.’”
And Gilbert the ghost has fitting company. For well over a century, The Horseshoe’s neighbour was a prison: first the Clerkenwell Bridewell, later the Middlesex House of Detention, whose wall was blown apart by Fenian bombers in 1867. While the jail itself is long gone, parts of its cells still lie beneath the flats across the road. Craig may need to leave more than one pint.
The Horseshoe isn’t alone. Across London, a handful of celebrity-owned pubs come with centuries of history, and in some cases, a resident ghost. If you fancy a pint with a side of the supernatural this October, these are the ones to haunt.
The Fox & Pheasant
The Fox & Pheasant, James Blunt's pub in Chelsea ©Fox&Pheasant
Tucked down a quiet side street in Chelsea sits The Fox & Pheasant. By the 2010s, this little Victorian pub was doomed to become yet another block of flats, until a local by the name of James Blunt stepped in – yes, that James Blunt. He and his wife Sofia bought it in 2017 and reopened it the following year after its restoration. But it seems one original fixture stayed put. In 2021, Blunt shared CCTV footage on Instagram of a beer tankard flinging itself off a shelf behind the bar, only to be caught mid-air by a stunned barman. Blunt believes the culprit is a former regular and staff have since grown rather fond of their mischievous patron. With crackling fires, hearty pub classics and a warm welcome for dogs, it’s the kind of place nobody wants to leave. And some, apparently, never have.
Mikkeller Bar London
Rick Astley's Mikkeller London Bar in Shoreditch ©Theis Mortensen
Over in Shoreditch, Rick Astley has traded the charts for craft beer. The pop star met Danish brewer Mikkel Borg Bjergsø after rumour spread that Astley lived in Copenhagen. He didn’t, but the pair brewed a beer together anyway, and in 2018 opened Mikkeller Bar London on Hackney Road. Directly across the road stands St Leonard’s, Shoreditch’s parish church, whose crypt is the final resting place of the Burbage family. Among them is Richard Burbage, the star of Shakespeare’s company who first brought Hamlet, Othello and King Lear to the stage. Alongside these Elizabethans, thousands of plague and influenza victims lie in the churchyard, where the funeral of Mary Jane Kelly, the final victim of Jack the Ripper was held. Its former vicars have been known to share a ghost story or two. So, order a pint, grab a window seat and keep an eye on the churchyard. You never know who may be looking back.
Selection of craft beers at Mikkeller Bar London, Rick Astley's pub on Hackney Road ©Theis Mortensen
The Grapes
Speaking of King Lear, Sir Ian McKellen is about to take on the role once more, this time, in a one-man reimagining at Hackney Wick’s Yard Theatre from November. When he’s not on stage, though, he co-owns The Grapes in Limehouse, the pub that has stood on this stretch of the Thames for nearly 500 years. One that Charles Dickens knew very well, describing it in the opening chapter of Our Mutual Friend. While the area proved a favourite haunt for an array of writers, from Oscar Wilde to Arthur Conan Doyle and Peter Ackroyd, there is a darker, more sordid side to its seemingly idyllic waters. Legend has it that local watermen would lure drunken customers down the back stairs, drown them in the river and sell their bodies for dissection. Thankfully, these days the only thing likely to drag you down to the river is the view from its balcony. Though after a few drinks, it might be wise to keep your distance.
