The 'haunted' Wolverhampton pub with a spooky history that's ideal for Halloween

The Giffard Arms pub in Wolverhampton is said to have a deep spooky history, dating back centuries ago.

Long ago, a man called William Giffard is said to have murdered a lady named Anne Horton, who is said to be one of several ghosts that roam around the pub, along with her children.

The dark, eerie look certainly plays into that theory, and it is something that owner, Wendy Shown, has used to her advantage to make the business a success.

She took over the pub almost 20 years ago after owning a gothic shop opposite the establishment, and by chance saw the to-let sign and made enquiries about acquiring the pub, which she said she somehow managed to achieve.

Now almost 20 years later, following a tough struggle in transforming an empty, soulless pub with a lack of custom, Wendy runs a successful business that is a household name thanks to its reputation for hosting rock music nights, and being a household gothic venue for rock music-loving people.

Speaking about the transformation she had to do, Wendy said: "I transformed the look of 'her'. I call it 'her'.

"When I took over, everything was bland, beige, it had a horrible carpet with no life to it.

"I put the dance floor in, built a stage and it went from a neglected place to a popular rock venue.

"It was terrible in the first year, it was so tough - I even nearly lost her in the first year because it wasn't making any money, but I managed to transform it all.

"By changing the whole look, with a gothic decor, I used my experience from the gothic shop bringing items from there to use in the pub. I had a dark, mystical throne put in.

"All these things helped in turning it around. It was by working hard, working all the hours possible - 70 hours a week to try and get it to work, and it thankfully paid off."

After transforming the look of the interior, Wendy continued the dark, gothic theme by hosting rock DJs, and continued to build on that making it a rock pub and hosting live music regularly.

The building is a Grade II listed building with a Tudor facade, and as the pictures show, it is the perfect theme for a dark, gothic pub.

Along with the gothic theme, it also has a haunted history, which Wendy claims her customers also believe, and even have several sightings of the ghosts.

She said: "The pub has a haunted history. We have two or three ghosts here with many sightings and a few others that I haven't seen.

"I've had many psychic nights which have confirmed sightings and haunted things happening like things falling over in the pub. here a lot of.

"There's a ghost called Anne Horton - she was supposed to be a lover of one of the Giffards - John Giffard.

"She supposedly haunts the place now along with here children, one of which is called Lilly.

"There's supposed to be a little dog here and a landlord going through walls - customers have seen them and told us.

"Some people have even asked why we have a little child here at night which we don't but people have seen her. Staff have seen things and then come back looking white as sheets, and so it is a great place for Halloween."

The pub has been around in this form since 1929 but previous to that, Wendy believes it dates back to the 1300s, making it almost 700 years old.

There are stained glass windows upstairs with the Giffard family crest.

Live bands regularly play at the pub, with around 12-15 every weekend in the upstairs room, and there are DJs playing all genres of music downstairs.

Several events are held regularly, including a monthly 80s night, which is held on the first Saturday of the month.

Wendy says she does a lot of work with the local community, and works closely alongside Compton Care.

She hosts an annual event over the August bank holiday weekend, where bands come and play for free and raise money. Previous events have raised up to £3,000 for Compton Care.

Doing a lot of charity work is close to the heart of Wendy, and she tries to do as much as she can by using the pub to her advantage to help charities.

However, like other establishments in the hospitality industry, The Giffard Arms has seen its struggles firstly due to the pandemic and now the energy crisis.

Wendy added: "We've gone through the pandemic and now we have the energy crisis.

"A lot of publicans I know have lost their pubs, but we are coping at the moment, but it's been a very challenging time.

"And what people forget is that it's not only the pub but its their home too as some people live above the pub and so they've lost everything.

"I unfortunately know a couple of people who are no longer with us anymore because of the stress of this.

"We've managed to get through it but I still have a lot of difficulty - and it is really hard and difficult.

"I was lucky to get a good deal for electricity, but I'm just waiting for the gas prices to come through.

"It's crippling for businesses, I just don't know how pubs are going to survive."

One of the things that the Giffard Arms has to its advantage is the running of regular events, and Wendy is thankful she has this, and it has made the pub a widely popular establishment, even across the world.

Some visitors have come from as far as Australia and the USA, all purely down to word of mouth.

Another big thing for the business is Halloween, which the pub will be holding their annual event on Saturday, October 29.

Wendy shared that the Halloween event night is the biggest of the year for them, even bigger than Christmas and New Years combined.

She added: " Running regular events has been a massive help - especially a niche market with the rock music, as there's not many of us around and we're quite well known.

"We have a good social media presence which has helped and an appreciation society - the community really helps.

"It's a grade 2 listed building with a Tudor facade, which is great for Halloween."