The Cardinal’s Hat is a tiny historic Worcester pub where a ghost called Emily, strange noises and unexplained happenings have troubled staff for years, writes DAVID SAUNDERSON
A young girl has been seen moving through the upper floors of The Cardinal’s Hat, an ancient Worcester inn with a long reputation for unexplained happenings.
Sometimes called Emily, the mysterious girl is only one of several presences associated with the old building, where staff have reported strange noises, moving objects and the uncomfortable feeling that someone else is nearby.
One publican spoke quite openly about these stories during a visit to the pub, although there was none of the theatrical enthusiasm sometimes encountered at supposedly haunted inns. The impression was simply that odd things occasionally happened in the building and those who worked there had learned to accept them.
That quiet acceptance is often more intriguing than any elaborate ghost story.
The Cardinal’s Hat on Friar Street
The Cardinal’s Hat, 31 Friar Street, Worcester WR1 2NA
The Cardinal’s Hat stands on Friar Street, a narrow historic street containing some of Worcester’s finest surviving old buildings and more than its fair share of ghost stories.
An inn bearing the Cardinal’s Hat name stood here by the end of the 15th century, although much of the building seen today dates from later centuries.
It is a remarkably small pub, with low ceilings, timber beams and intimate rooms that give it considerably more atmosphere than its modest size might suggest.
The pub has changed names and owners over its long life, but its position close to Worcester Cathedral placed it in a busy part of the medieval city frequented by travellers, merchants and pilgrims.
Centuries of occupation have also provided plenty of material for stories of the supernatural.
The Ghost Called Emily
The best-known spirit at The Cardinal’s Hat is generally known as Emily, although the historical identity of the girl remains uncertain.
She has reportedly been seen on the upper floors, sometimes appearing only briefly before disappearing from view, and various minor disturbances have also been attributed to her.
Keys, wallets and other belongings are said to have vanished before turning up somewhere unexpected, while objects have apparently moved without anybody being near them.
Such incidents are easily dismissed individually, particularly in a busy public house where possessions are constantly being moved and people regularly come and go.
It becomes more interesting when similar stories continue to be told by different people who have spent considerable periods working inside the same building.
A Presence After Closing Time
One former barman reportedly encountered something rather more unsettling while locking the pub after everybody else had gone home.
Standing alone inside the building, he heard the unmistakable sound of somebody clearing their throat behind him, although there should have been nobody else present.
There was no dramatic apparition waiting when he turned around, but perhaps that makes the account rather more effective than many traditional tales of haunted inns.
Other people have spoken of unexplained noises, sudden changes in temperature and the persistent sensation that another person is standing nearby in an apparently empty part of the building.
A young female figure has also reportedly been glimpsed crossing an upstairs landing before disappearing, adding another variation to the stories surrounding Emily.
Strange Finds at The Cardinal’s Hat
Renovation work has occasionally produced mysteries of a more physical kind, including the reported discovery of an old fleece hidden behind a wardrobe.
The garment apparently carried unusual burn marks and was subsequently examined in an attempt to establish what had happened to it, although no satisfactory explanation emerged.
As so often happens in an old haunted building, the object eventually became incorporated into the existing supernatural tradition and was associated with Emily.
Whether there was ever any genuine connection between the two is impossible to establish, but such discoveries help old ghost stories acquire new layers with every generation.
A Haunted Street in Worcester
The setting of The Cardinal’s Hat is almost as interesting as the pub itself, because Friar Street and the surrounding city centre contain numerous buildings with supernatural traditions.
Worcester is particularly rewarding for anyone interested in haunted Britain because many of its historic pubs, churches and old buildings can be reached within a relatively short walk.
A weekend in the city provides plenty of opportunity to explore its darker history while also visiting several supposedly haunted locations without spending half the day travelling between them.
For more places to investigate, see our guide to Worcester: 5 Haunted Places to Visit.
Is The Cardinal’s Hat Haunted?
The Cardinal’s Hat does not appear to make a great spectacle of its ghosts, which may be one reason its stories remain interesting.
There are no guarantees of apparitions, rattling chains or anything else expected from the traditional haunted pub, only accounts accumulated by people who have lived and worked within an exceptionally old building.
Those accounts suggest that something about The Cardinal’s Hat has occasionally left even experienced publicans wondering whether they really were alone.
Ghosts or no ghosts, it remains a tiny, atmospheric and excellent historic pub that deserves a visit when exploring Worcester.
If Emily really does remain somewhere within its upper rooms, she has certainly chosen one of the better pubs in which to spend eternity.
