Pub with a noose and gallows that’s ‘haunted by celebrity ghosts’

27 June 2024 , 09:52

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The Prospect of Whitby is a rather unique pub (Image: DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)

The Prospect of Whitby in Wapping, London, was once the favoured haunt of smugglers, pirates, and criminals.

Originally known as 'The Pelican', a pub has stood on the site since the 1500s, with its riverside location making it an easy location for smugglers and pirates to visit. And for local thieves targeting the boats moored in the surrounding areas.

During its early years, the pub was known locally as the 'Devil's Tavern' due to its reputation. While the pub was certainly popular within the criminal community, the nearby riverbank would prove, for some, to be their final resting place.

In the 17th century, numerous criminals were hanged along the riverside, with this piece of gory history now commemorated with a noose and gallows outside the pub.

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The history of the Pelican is not all doom and gloom though, as it was also the site at which the first fuschia plant in the UK was sold.

Things took a turn for the better for the Pelican in the 19th century. Following a fire that destroyed the property, it was rebuilt and renamed. The name change was inspired by a cargo ship called The Prospect that would regularly be moored on the riverside and was registered in Whitby.

The Prospect of Whitby has a noose on its riverbank (Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)

The Prospect of Whitby is rumoured to be haunted by a number of infamous ghosts, including Judge John Jeffreys who became known as the 'the Hanging Judge' due to his cruelness and apparent eagerness to see people hanged.

He became rather infamous after presiding over Bloody Assizes, which saw 144 people hanged and 800–850 transported to the West Indies, and many others passed away from 'gaol fever' prior to facing trial.

The pub is said to be haunted by two notorious ghosts (Dukas/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

One particularly brutal punishment was that of Elizabeth Gaunt, who was burned alive, she has since gone done in history as the last women to be executed for a political crime.

Judge John Jeffreys died in the Tower of London in 1689, after being arrested following the Glorius Revolution. He is said to now haunt the Prospect of Whitby.

Another celebrity ghost said to haunt the pub is Mary Frith, also known as Moll Cutpurse, a notorious 17th century pickpocket and madame.

Isobel Pankhurst