Boo-zy business – the ghostly regular who refuses to leave Manchester’s Crown and Anchor

At Manchester’s Crown and Anchor, a pub known for its long history, there are a couple of regulars who’ve been making spirited appearances for years – and they aren’t quite your average punter.

Infact, they aren’t even humans. They’re ghosts.

There are so many spooky places around Manchester with a haunted past, and just in time for Halloween, we examine another of Manchester’s most haunted pubs.

The Crown and Anchor Ghost

Since 1998, landlord Danny Watson has become familiar with the pub’s resident ghost, who’s as much a part of the scene as the booths and beer taps.

“I always joke that the living cause more trouble than the dead,” said Danny with a laugh.

The ghostly figure, seen often by Danny, seems to drift in and out of the pub’s memories.

“I see him just over what used to be a booth – only his cap and the top of his face are visible,” Danny explained.

But each time he tries to approach for a closer look, the ghost disappears without a word.

This isn’t the only otherworldly encounter at the Crown and Anchor, a city centre pub steeped in history and owned by Manchester’s Joseph Holt brewery.

Danny recalls another eerie experience: one morning, before the pub opened, he spotted an elderly woman sitting alone in what once was the snug area, now part of the open-plan layout.

“She looked about 70, with grey hair, a long black overcoat, and little old-fashioned boots. We chatted a bit – she told me she’d been a maid here years back, and she knew all sorts of details about the pub’s layout and history.”

But, like the cap-wearing ghost, the woman vanished just as mysteriously as she’d appeared.

“One of the staff came in to ask me about a barrel, and when I turned back, she was gone,” said Danny.

Even the cleaner, who overheard Danny speaking, couldn’t understand who he was talking to.

Danny isn’t alone in his spectral encounters. Other staff, including his assistant manager, have sensed a brush on the shoulder or felt someone moving nearby when no one else was around.

The 19th Century Crown and Anchor pub

The Crown and Anchor has long been a fixture in Manchester, dating back to at least the early 19th century, with records suggesting its presence as early as the 1840s.

Though the pub was refurbished nine years ago to open up the layout, Danny notes the ghosts appear to prefer the original seating plan – the mysterious lady was seen in what was once the snug.

With Halloween approaching, Danny laughs off any notion that he feels uneasy in the presence of his ghostly visitors.

“I like the idea that customers enjoyed the pub so much they even return in the afterlife. It’s as if they’re imprinted on the place. But then again, we serve Joseph Holt’s awesome ales and offer a warm welcome – so why wouldn’t they want to come back?”

Joseph Holt, celebrating its 175th anniversary, owns 127 pubs across the North West, many with similarly fascinating histories.

Since 1860, the brewery has operated out of its same Manchester location, a stone’s throw from the Crown and Anchor.

Now run by the sixth generation of the Holt family, the brewery continues to draw both the living – and perhaps the not-so-living – for a top pint from the heart of Manchester.