Popular local haunt, The Pack Horse, Leeds has been featured in Short Stories from down the Pub, a debut collection of stories championing pubs around the country. Written and collated by the team at Stonegate Group, the UK’s largest pub company, from contributions made by customers and employees, the book contains over 100 stories, including a spooky tale about The Pack Horse.
Back in 1998, the (then) new landlord of The Pack Horse, moved in. In addition to all the usual words of wisdom from the locals, they also mentioned that the pub was haunted. This warning was met with the usual disbelief until things started to happen… Small things going missing, items turning up where they shouldn’t, but no cause for alarm and they were brushed off as mild inconveniences.
However, the strange situations didn’t stop. Little things kept happening, until one day the sounds of like the occasional tap on the shoulder two sets of footsteps could be heard running across the top floor along with the sound of children’s giggling. But, when anyone went upstairs to look, there was no one there. Not only was this the first of many times this happened but it was discovered the only way to stop the noise was to shout up and ask them to be quiet.
Current operator Cherylynn Mallinson-Brown said of the story: “We’re so pleased that the Pack Horse has been featured in this new book. It is stories like these that gives the pub its history and character. I haven’t received the same words of warning from the locals but it is not unheard of within the team to have experienced some spooky situations!”
Now this ghost story is featured in the book, which started life as a project to engage teams over lockdown, gathering memories and stories. The pandemic has taken its toll on so many aspects of daily life, especially on mental wellbeing. To keep morale up, an employee-led team encouraged their colleagues to share stories from the pub – funny moments, great memories and heart-warming recollections were in abundance. The stories soon came flooding in and the book took six months to complete.
Colin Hawkins, Operational Director at Stonegate said “It has been a huge honour to relive all these incredible stories and collate them into something really special. We had so many great stories to choose from and the Pack Horse’s story is a fantastic example.
“I am so proud of the team at Stonegate for all their efforts towards the book and their unwavering positive attitude over the past year. It has been amazing to be able to give something back to the hospitality industry and all the people who make pubs the great places they are.”
Profits from the book go to the Licensed Trade Charity, an organisation that provides crucial help, support and advice for licensed drinks trade people. At £9.99, Short Stories from down the Pub is available in print and digitally through Amazon at https://amzn.to/3wkzJ2K.
Pack Horse Yard, Briggate, Leeds, LS1 6AT
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