The Crown Inn in Hemel Hempstead (now known as the Rose and Crown) is known to have existed as far back as 1523. In 2000 a paranormal investigation team visited the inn for an all night vigil. During the night one of the team members felt ‘suddenly chilled' and could tell from the expression on a colleague's face that he felt the same. There was nothing unusual to be seen and the only thing visible on the photographs they took were several orbs which seemed to glow with their own light.

The following was provided by the Rose and Crown's Webmaster, Adrian:

The Rose and Crown in Hemel Hempstead was originally a butchers shop. In 1537 the owner is recorded as brewing mead for his workers. The ale business grew until it took over and the oldest ale house in the Old High Street, Hemel Hempstead began.

There are purported to be several ghosts at the Rose and Crown. One, called the ‘grey lady', is said to be responsible for kitchen switches turning on and off during the night. Another could be the ghost of a young girl who lived in the pub locked in her room because she was crippled. In recent years a pair of girl's shoes was found during some renovation work. What made this particularly unusual is that the shoes were very old and the sole of one was built up.

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To view images see: Hemel Hempst'd - Rose and Crown Album

To view a report about the Rose and Crown see: 21-11-2009

Hemel Hempstead, Crown Inn

Gadebridge Park

It is claimed that headless nuns have been seen in Gadebridge Park but no further information is available.

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High Street 1

In the early hours of the morning a former tenant at number 58 in the High Street in Old Town is said to leave the building by the side door then walk along the High Street visiting the inns. If this is a replay of something the man did in life why does his ghost make the walk in the early hours of the morning and not in the evening?

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High Street 2

It seems that in a flat next to the Old Bell in the High Street (likely to be either number 49a, 49b or 53a) strange noises were heard and at one time the tenant was disturbed by something sitting on the end of their bed. It seems that a former tenant used to share the flat with a spirit but no further details are available.

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Leisure World

The nightclubs in the Leisure World complex (Lava & Ignite, formerly knows as Ethos & Visage) in Jarman Park are said to be haunted by what are believed to be the ghosts of children. The ghosts are supposed to be responsible for moving objects like keys and glasses when the clubs are virtually empty. In one of the DJ booths there is the feeling of a presence and the temperature will suddenly drop until it is ice-cold with no rational explanation.

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The Nickey Line

On the now disused Nickey Line the sound of a train whistle has been heard which is thought to be that of a train which used to regularly run on the line.

There are numerous other tales regarding the Nickey Line one of which regards a train which was derailed and hit a shanty town killing several people whose ghosts now haunt the area. In addition the train that killed them is said to haunt the area. Another ghost that haunts the line is that of a man who is only ever seen at a distance. If you walk towards him he disappears. Another tale of the line involves a woman who is said to have thrown her baby from a bridge and killed it; now its cries can still be heard. A final odd occurrence is that of a mist which quickly appears and equally as quickly vanishes.

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To view images see: Hemel Hempstead - Nickey Line Album

To view a report about the Nickey Line see: 27-04-2007

Hemel Hempstead, The Nickey Line _____________________________________________________________________
Odeon Cinema

At the Odeon Cinema (now the Empire Cinema) in Jarman Park, Hemel Hempstead objects have been reported flying through the air in one particular room. Strange moaning sounds have also been heard coming from the same area. This has all taken place very recently.

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Hemel Hempstead, Former Odeon Cinema _____________________________________________________________________
The Olde King's Arms

The Olde King's Arms is a heavily timbered building which was first mentioned in the early 1600s. The inn is rumoured to have been used as a meeting place between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn when they were courting. Several members of staff have reported seeing a ‘big fat man' who would sit on one of the beds and laugh. As Henry VIII was a statuesque figure with an ever expanding girth in his later years could the ghost be that of Henry himself?

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Hemel Hempstead, The Olde Kings Arms _____________________________________________________________________
Redbourn Road

On the 19th April 2009 a driver had a strange experience on the Redbourn Road when they encountered a caped figure with a wide-brimmed hat who crossed the road in front of their car. It wasn't until they had driven passed the figure and tried to look at it in their rear view mirror that they realised it had vanished.

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The White Hart

In the White Hart Inn both customers and staff have had bad feelings when they approach the stairs. Customers have had a sudden and unaccountable feeling of terror and one member of staff just couldn't explain why she wouldn't go near the stairs. The ghost of a man has been seen haunting the stairway though no one knows why. Usually his face is seen and he appears to be terribly distressed.

One legend tells of a young man who was tricked into accepting the King's shilling when he was given a glass of beer by a recruiting sergeant with the shilling in the bottom. The young man is said to have killed the sergeant and the officer's ghost now haunts the inn. A variation on the legend has it that the young man was killed on the stairs whilst trying to escape the Press Gang. This version claims that his screams and cries can still be heard.

The main part of the inn certainly existed in 1655 with parts of the building dating back to 1530.

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Hemel Hempstead, The White Hart _____________________________________________________________________
Woolworths

Numbers 198 and 200 Marlowes in Hemel Hempstead used to be occupied by Woolworths and had been since the 1960s, now Woolworths is gone. In the 1960s and early 70s the ghost of a man wearing Victorian clothes and a top hat and tails was seen by several storeroom workers. The ghost is believed to be that of a man who had lived in the row of cottages that had been knocked down to make way for the new shopping development. The man had hung himself from a beam in the attic of his cottage and his ghost appears in the storeroom which was above the main store.

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Workhouse

In 1835-6 a new workhouse was built in Hemel Hempstead to house 200 inmates beside what at the time was called the Redbourn Road (now Allandale) at a cost of £3,450. By 1904 the workhouse had developed a reputation for being haunted, so much so that ladies of the road advised others of their kind not to stay there. The haunting was said to take place in the female tramp ward and consisted of weird noises heard at night.

The workhouse became the Hempstead House Public Assistance Institution in 1938 and the St Paul's Maternity Hospital under the NHS in 1948 (St Paul’s was a church that stood at the end of Allandale where the terraced block of houses on the south side of Queensway now stands). Later the workhouse was demolished and the site is now part of a housing estate.

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