For 23 years, John Hughes has walked Bristol after dark telling stories of murder, restless spirits and buildings where something strange is still said to linger.
As the man behind Haunted & Hidden Bristol, he has also spent more than two decades collecting new stories from the people who know the city best.
Pub staff have told him about troublesome poltergeists. Retired residents have approached him after talks with stories of their own. Police officers and firefighters have shared experiences they struggled to explain.
Occasionally, photographs taken on John’s tours have also produced something unexpected.
Of all the stories he has encountered, however, one unsolved killing continues to fascinate him.
“The former Odeon Cinema murder from the 1940s,” John told Spooky Isles.
“The manager was shot and nobody was convicted for the crime.
“Many former staff have told me interesting stories of sightings, especially near Screen 3, where his old office was.”
A poltergeist at the White Harte
Some of John’s best material has come directly from people working inside Bristol’s supposedly haunted buildings.
One particular location continues to produce stories.
“The White Harte near the bus station,” John said. “We occasionally visit there on my pub-stop tour and the staff have great stories about the poltergeist that still causes problems.”
More than two decades of leading Haunted & Hidden Bristol has also allowed him to develop relationships with businesses along the route.
“I know a lot of the businesses on the route and will add any new stories to freshen up the tour,” he said.
“I also do library talks where retired people will often come up with interesting tales.”
That means the tour is not simply repeating stories preserved in old books. New accounts continue to find their way to John.
A mysterious figure at the Rummer
One of the strangest incidents happened during a private Haunted & Hidden Bristol tour for a law firm.
The group stopped at the Rummer for food and posed for a photograph beside the fireplace.
John said: “As they all sat by the fireplace for a group photo, a man’s body appeared where the firewood is now kept.
“This used to be an old doorway to the former stables facing Castle Park.”
It wasn’t the only photograph taken during one of John’s tours to raise questions.
“Years ago, we had a lady take a photograph of the menu board in the Old Fish Market pub in Baldwin Street,” he said.
“By chance, a man’s face appeared in the fireplace below.
“This many years ago was an old lift or hoist when it was actually a fish market.”
Bristol’s overlooked ghost stories
John believes some supposedly haunted Bristol locations receive far less attention than they deserve.
One is Bristol Fire Station at Temple.
“Bristol Fire Station on Temple is often overlooked,” he said.
“Opened in 1975, it stands on the former location of the Knights Templar garrison from the Middle Ages.
“The chef there once chased a ghostly figure through her kitchen as she was preparing meals.”
Another favourite story lies away from the regular Haunted & Hidden Bristol route.
At the top of Pembroke Road near the Downs, a highwayman was said to have preyed upon wealthy travellers crossing Clifton.
John said the robber was eventually hanged near the scene of his crimes.
“His body was left to rot in a cask on the site,” he said.
“Many people have witnessed strange sightings at the location where he is also now buried.”
Does John Hughes believe in ghosts?
After 23 years researching hauntings and talking to witnesses, John has little hesitation when asked whether he personally believes in ghosts.
“Absolutely,” he said.
“Having met retired policemen, firemen and even an exorcist, I strongly believe in the paranormal.”
Those conversations are one reason Haunted & Hidden Bristol still changes after more than two decades.
For John, the people who work in Bristol’s old buildings, drink in its pubs and join his talks keep supplying new accounts for the tour.
Haunted & Hidden Bristol
Haunted & Hidden Bristol explores ghost stories, darker history and unusual locations around Bristol city centre.
Find Haunted & Hidden Bristol in the Spooky Isles Events Guide, or visit Bristol Walking Tours for current tour information.
