THE OLDE KINGS ARMS
The Olde Kings Arms Public House
The High Street, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
WEBSITE:
Type of Premises: Public House – Open to the Public
Age of Premises:Built circa 16 Century
Past and Present use: Inn/Hostelry now Public House and Hotel
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
Testament 1
Date: July 2000
Witness Testament: GPS Member
We (myself and a friend) were fortunate to look round the Kings Arms Public House. The holding manager offered to show us round during the daytime, and we spent about an hour looking around the entire property, which included the Cellar, the main bar areas, the Kitchen, and the upstairs.
The upstairs was vacant, and had fallen into disrepair over the past decade or so, the Holding Manager confirmed that during his time there and before to his knowledge, no-one had used it other than for storage.
I didn’t experience anything out of the ordinary during the time we looked around the downstairs part of the building, and certainly nothing ‘spooky’. I had been in the Pub on a few occasions and never ‘felt’ anything there.
When we went upstairs the atmosphere again didn’t seem out of the ordinary, it was slightly colder than downstairs, but this could be explained rationally as it had been unused for quite a while. During the time I was walking around I took many photos using a 35mm (film) camera.
It was while taking photos (which I did alone, the other people looking around elsewhere at the time) that I felt a change in the atmosphere upstairs. It was in the largest of the rooms, which I believed had been at some point, a restaurant. There was a brown-bricked fireplace, of which I took several photos, I also took several photos of the room itself. During this time, I got the impression there was ‘something’ with me, which remained during the rest of the time I was there. It felt uncomfortable, as though I was being watched, and in some areas the temperature seemed to change and I felt quite cold when I previously had felt okay, on what was a very warm day. Upon talking to the other person who had viewed the premises with, they also said they felt something ‘uncomfortable’ in the upstairs of the property, but nothing too alarming. I mentioned that the ‘presence’ I had felt was quite strong in places, and I also mentioned that if I had to describe it, the word I would have used was ‘menacing’ or even ‘evil’.
We left soon after, and I got the film developed the following week.
There was nothing out of the ordinary on most of the photos, but the ones taken in the large (restaurant) area showed a few things that seemed to explain the ‘feelings’ I had experienced as being of a Paranormal nature, including ghostly faces of two young children, moving orbs and a rather ‘evil’ looking grinning ‘face’ in the fireplace. Another photo, taken in the roof area showed the same type of ‘face’ in the distance. The other photos taken downstairs, showed nothing.
showed several other people the photos, and they too could see quite clearly the ‘faces’. Subsequently I did some research and found that very few ghostly encounters had been recorded for the Olde Kings Arms, and only one seemed to have any sort of history, nothing could be found in local history books to explain what I had felt or photographed during my time there. However, I did speak to other people who gave me an insight into the building and its history which fitted my own experiences better. These experiences, and the photographs I took are included.
Testament 2
Location: Upstairs Restaurant area.
Date: early 1980s
Witness Testament: Anonymous former employee
I spoke to a past employee of The Olde Kings Arms, who worked there as a barmaid in the early 1980s. Our conversation had come about after I had mentioned in passing that I had viewed the premises, but I had not mentioned my ‘Paranormal’ experiences. Before this conversation I had not known that this particular person had worked there at all.
They mentioned an experience they had during there time working there, when the upstairs areas was used a Restaurant. They, and another colleague were working the evening shift, and were the last people in the premises, with the responsibility of locking up at the end of the evening. This was the first time they had locked up after everyone else had gone, and prior to this they remembered nothing out of the ordinary about working there. The person in question was upstairs turning out the lights and securing the premises, when they entered the Restaurant area, which was primarily an eating area with tables and chairs throughout.
The only way they could describe what happened was that the atmosphere ‘changed’ immediately. They felt an ‘evil’ presence, and an overwhelming feeling that they were being watched. They quickly turned off the lights, locked the door and ‘ran’ downstairs to their colleague to tell them what they had experienced upstairs.
The experience was enough to make sure that they never went upstairs again, even during the daytime. Soon after, and due in part to their experience, they left their employment.
Despite the fact that this experience had occurred 20 years previously, and was really just based on a ‘feeling’ nothing more, they still visibly ‘shuddered’ as they told me. I told them after of my own experience in the same room, and the similarities, especially the ‘evil and foreboding’ atmosphere, and feeling of suddenly ‘being watched’ were indeed alarmingly alike.
Testament 3
Location: Various locations downstairs (bar area)
Date: 2008
Witness Testament: Anonymous current employee.
This employee has told of a few strange experiences while working at The Kings Arms. Most noticeably the sound of someone whistling in the Pub when they were the only person in there, and the sound of children’s laughter – again when they were alone and the Pub was closed to the Public. They have ‘felt’ the presence of someone there, but not the same presence as described previously, they have never felt scared or alarmed.
Recorded sightings and experiences:
The Jolly Man
Despite it’s age and varied history, the Olde Kings Arms only has two recorded ghosts – The first is that of a large, jolly, ‘laughing’ man who was seen on a number of occasions by people staying in the Pubs upstairs bedrooms. It is believed that the man in question could be Henry VIII who certainly has a strong link to the Old High Street, and is believed to have frequented the Old Kings Arms, and various other old Inns of the High Street. However, the sightings are very vague, and could just be romanticised ‘folklore’. Nothing has been mentioned recently about this ‘jolly’ visitor.
The Brown Lady
I haven’t found any written confirmation of this ghostly apparition, but it is one that seems to be quite well known, and also one that I myself have been aware of for a long time, so would seem to have some basis in factual experiences, rather than ‘folklore’.
The ‘Brown Lady’ in question is believed to be a young lady who dates from around the early 1900s. The story is that she met the love of her life in the Pub, but he was due to fight in what was to be the First World War. They had arranged, before he left, that they would meet up again in the Pub on his return. The young lady waited for him, but he never returned, and was presumed killed in action, his young love is still thought to haunt the downstairs (front) of the Pub, waiting for him to return.
Other Information:
- A former cook was apparently murdered in the downstairs of the Pub, but the date of this is unknown, it is thought to be during the Pubs early years.
- A woman was supposed to have hung herself in front of the Window inside the pub. (as you enter the pub, it is the window facing the street on your right hand side) – again the date of this is unknown. Who she was, or why she chose to take her own life is unknown.
- A fire in the pub claimed the life of the landladys 3 small children who were asleep upstairs at the time – again date and details unknown, this is an unrecorded event, but one photo I took during the time of my visit clearly shows the ghostly faces of two small children – could this be the ‘spirits’ of those children who may have tragically died in the upstairs of the pub?
Analysis:
As we have never investigated the Pub via a Paranormal Investigation, it would be impossible to claim for definite the Pub is indeed haunted. Its long history would certainly lend itself well to ‘ghostly’ visitors, and certainly there are a few experiences from different people and eras to suggest that there is ‘something’ there, but without more Investigation it’s difficult to say what.
Additional Information: 01 Oct 2009 – (3 accounts)
Account 1:
Source: Paranormal Website.
Date of sighting: 20 Century (exact date unknown)
This report validates the previous sighting of a ‘Jolly Fat Man’ I have copied the report exactly as it appears on the website:
“Appearance of a ‘Jolly Fat Man’ – this jovial chap was seen laughing away as he sat on a bed”
It continues, with:
“A white female form has also been reported on site”
Could this ‘female form’ be the afore mentioned lover pining for her beloved in the Pubs bar area? This is the first time I have seen it mentioned in ‘written’ form – so it may be more than folklore.
Account 2:
Source: Beer in the Evening Website.
Date: unknown
“Recent refurb has regenerated it into a great pub….. Legend has it that it’s been around so long that ghosts regularly appear there, including Henry VIII heard laughing in the company of his beloved Hemel companion Jane Seymour….”
Account 3:
Source:Verbal account
Date: Unknown – late 20 century.
The Kings Arms has many old fireplaces, including a large (unused) one in the upstairs bar area. From what I was told, the downstairs fireplace is supposed to be haunted – so much so that someone was once sponsored to sit in there overnight!
Analysis:
When I was told this I remembered the Fireplace from one of my (many!) visits to the Kings Arms in the early 1990s. I remember being told that there used to be seats in there (the fireplace is big enough to sit in and stand upright in), and the same ‘old-timers’ would sit in there drinking. The area housed the dartboard when I went there, and I don’t know whether the tables and seats were moved out because of this - there were never any tables or chairs near the dartboard to my memory! – maybe the ‘old-timers’ are the ones ‘haunting’ the fireplace,reluctant to leave their favourite drinking place??
