The Watergate Inn York ghost stories centre on the legend of Green Jenny, a bright, open pub with a long history that still carries a quieter sense of the past, writes DAVID SAUNDERSON
In York, even the newer pubs are old.
Anything under a few hundred years feels like a relative newcomer, and the Watergate Inn York is no exception.
On Walmgate, it stands out straight away. The green and white frontage gives it a bright, open look, and inside it feels airy, not cramped, the kind of place that comes into its own on a warm day.
But like most places in York, it comes with a ghost story.
Head through to the back and you cannot miss it. A large sign in the yard tells the story of Green Jenny, a figure said to have appeared here centuries ago.
It is not hidden away or treated as a novelty. It is part of the pub’s identity, sitting alongside the tables, the light, and the sense that this has been a place of life and activity for a very long time.
The Watergate Inn may feel brighter than many of York’s older pubs, but it still carries a story. Whether you believe it or not, it is worth a visit just to see how it feels for yourself.
From the Five Lions to the Watergate Inn
The Watergate Inn stands on Walmgate, once one of the busiest pub streets in York. At the start of the 20th century there were around 20 pubs here. Today, this is the last one left.
The site has been home to an inn since at least 1702, when it was known as the City Arms. By 1818 it had become the Five Lions, a coaching inn with stables behind it.
You can still see traces of that layout. The passage running through the building once gave access to the yard and stables, and it still shapes how the place works today.
Over time, the inn adapted. It offered rooms, attracted travellers, and even marketed itself to cyclists as transport changed. It remained the Five Lions for centuries before being renamed the Watergate Inn in 2015, a nod to the nearby River Foss.
Why the Watergate Inn York feels different
The Watergate Inn does not feel like the typical haunted pub in York.
On my visit, it was bright, open and easygoing. The green and white paint gives it a lighter feel than many of the darker, timber-heavy pubs in the city. There is space to move, and the layout feels practical rather than enclosed.
That does not mean it lacks history. It just presents it differently.
Rather than a heavy atmosphere, it feels like a place that has been continually adapted. A working pub that has moved with the times, while still carrying stories from the past.
You could imagine Dick Turpin in many of York’s darker, more historic pubs, but this is one where you’d watch York City or Leeds United. Even so, it still has its own ghost story.
The ghost story of Green Jenny
The Watergate Inn’s main ghost story centres on a figure known as Green Jenny.
According to accounts linked to the old Five Lions, sightings date back to the early 18th century. An ostler working at the inn reported seeing a woman in a glowing green dress on a staircase leading to what had been an all-male area.
He spoke to her, assuming she was the landlord’s wife, but she did not respond in any normal way, only giving a vague gesture. Later, he came to believe she was the ghost of a serving girl named Jenny who had recently died.
It is not a dramatic story, but it fits the place. A working inn, a passing figure, a brief encounter that leaves more questions than answers.
The story has stayed with the building ever since.
Where Green Jenny is said to appear
The story of Green Jenny is tied closely to the back of the building.
Walking through the passageway into the yard, you can see why. The space opens up behind the pub, but still feels enclosed by the surrounding buildings. The sign telling her story sits there as a permanent reminder.
On my visit, this was the most interesting part of the pub. Not because anything happened, but because it is easy to picture how the place would have looked in its earlier days, with stables, workers and movement through the space.
If there is anywhere in the Watergate Inn where the past feels closest, it is here.
What it’s like to visit the Watergate Inn
The Watergate Inn is not trying to be the most haunted pub in York.
It feels like a place people come to enjoy themselves. On my visit, it was quiet, but you can see how it would change in the evening or during the summer, with the outdoor space coming into its own.
It is also noticeably different to places like the Black Swan or the Golden Fleece. Those pubs lean into atmosphere in different ways, either through age, layout or sheer intensity.
The Watergate Inn feels more relaxed. More open. Still historic, but not dominated by it.
That makes it interesting in a different way. It shows how York’s ghost stories sit alongside everyday life, not separate from it.
I did not stay this time, but the rooms upstairs look well kept, and it is the kind of place that would be worth trying overnight. If anything does happen, it is more likely to be subtle than dramatic.
It’s the kind of place where the ghost story is there if you want it, but the pub itself carries on regardless.
What you need to know
- The Watergate Inn is on Walmgate, York YO1 9TJ
- It is a historic pub with accommodation and a large rear beer garden.
- For opening hours and more details, visit: https://thewatergateinn.com/
