We went on the Haunted Bristol Walking Tour

Looking for something different to do during your lunch break? Redcliffe & Temple Business Improvement District (BID) has got it covered with a selection of events with a difference.

BID exists within the Redcliffe and Temple areas of Bristol with the aim to improve and enhance the area for the benefit of the business community. 

The aspiration is for it to be known not only as a thriving commercial district but also as an outstanding community. Some of the free events they offer include Lunchtime Yoga Flow Sessions (the next session is on December 12 at 1pm) and a Winter Lights Photography Walk on December 4 at 6pm. 

We decided to join the Haunted Bristol Walking Tour, which was described as “a 45-minute guided walk that will reveal the darker side to Bristol’s history” and promised to be “an entertaining and informative way to spend your lunch break” by delivering “historical facts as well as TV and film trivia with a good dose of humour thrown in”.

The tour started at Bristol’s Temple Church, which was originally built by the Knights Templar, a medieval military group of “warrior monks” who were founded in the early 12th century to protect pilgrims in the Holy Land whilst obeying religious vows of chastity and poverty whilst training for war.

The area used by the Knights Templar includes the site of the fire station where the guide explained, there have been sites of a ghost of a Knight Templar.

The guide also explained the reasoning behind the name of the nearby Temple Meads train station: the area, including Temple Church, was marsh land and Brunel built Temple Meads in this area since the land was much cheaper. The name Meads comes from the marshlands, and Temple comes from the Knights Templar.

The tour continued past the King’s Head pub, where the guide revealed that the seats at the back belonged to an old tram.Passing through Victoria Street and onto St Thomas Street, the tour continued by the Fleece which was first used as a sheep trading market in the 1800s.

The tour continues at The Rummer Hotel in All Saints Lane whose current building dates from 1742, and was built on the site of an older inn dating from 1241.

The Rummer used to be the site of the first stagecoach from London and it is said that there were sightings of the ghost of a man who worked in the stagecoach inn. The Rummer was also used to film some scenes for TV series Skins.

Further down the street, we encountered All Saints Centre which is over 500 years old. Here, the monks were murdered by soldiers under King Henry VIII’s orders to bring all the gold. Outside the building, the Dr Who episode ‘Snowman’ starring Matt Smith was recorded.

The tour continued onto the Corn Exchange, which was built in 1743 to offer some shelter for the traders in the cold and wet season. There are air-raid shelters underneath and our guide recommended the St Nicholas Market and Air Raid Shelter Walking Tour that is run by Duncan on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays to find out more.

The walking tour continued by Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel, which hosted the likes of the Rolling Stones and where Mick Jagger wrote the lyrics to Let's Spend the Night Together, before passing by restaurant Chez Marcel which had been turned into the Emporium during the filming of the 60th anniversary Dr Who episode.

The tour continued past The Lanes bowling alley and bar, a building that used to be the site of a labour exchange, before stopping by the Odeon.

In 1946, Robert Parrington-Jackson, the manager of the Bristol Odeon, was shot in his office during an evening showing of The Light That Failed whose shots on screen masked the sounds of the real gunshots, and no one was ever charged for the notorious crime. His ghost is rumoured to roam around the cinema.

The walking tour concluded by the White Hart pub near the bus station. Originally forming part of an old church called St James’ Priory, the White Hart dates back to 1674, and the cellar is even older. The pub is said to be haunted by the ghost of 17th-century owner George, who was brutally murdered and his body hidden in the cellar. 

Overall, it was an enjoyable, if fast-paced, tour that revealed plenty of secrets about the city centre and Redcliffe.

The Haunted and Hidden Bristol Walking Tour is also available on Fridays from 8pm. It runs for around one and a half hours and departs from Bristol Cathedral. Tickets cost £7 per adult, £5 per concession and £4 per child and need to be booked in advance."