A Liverpool pub has earned itself the title of "the creepiest 100 yards" on Merseyside thanks to the supernatural beings who are said to lurk there.
The Punchbowl in Sefton proves that looks can be deceiving, as it’s hard to imagine the recently refurbed building - which is currently used as a pub and Mediterranean restaurant - has a spooky history. The Grade II-listed building has been attracting visitors for decades, and not just those who are living.
Situated near Sefton’s Church of Saint Helen and the accompanying graveyard, The Punchbowl has a long history of creepy goings on. Paranormal website Spooky Isles has called the venue "the creepiest 100 yards" on Merseyside after a writer for the site visited the venue.
READ MORE Lost 1990s Liverpool nightclub people travelled 'far and wide' to visit
A member of staff told them that a ghost lives in one of the pub’s cupboards and repeatedly knocks from inside. It's said to be a sailor whose body was brought to the pub after he drowned to await an inquest and burial. People have reported seeing a "floating" man in nautical dress where on occasion only his head and shoulders can be seen.
The ghost of Sir Nicholas Blundell, the lord of the manor of Little Crosby who died in 1737, has also been spotted walking past The Punchbowl towards the cemetery. It's believed Sir Nicholas was buried elsewhere despite wanting his final resting place to be the Sefton church, and this is why he walks back and forth to the graveyard.
As for the church, the spirit of a vicar is said to live there and can be seen wandering around the building and the graveyard. There are rumours that the vicar's ghost was once caught on camera in 1999. The photograph is said to show the figures of three people, but only two were in the church at the time.
Ghosts aside, a "vicious poltergeist" frequents the area who pops over to The Punchbowl to freak out its visitors. A well-known story in the village is that when a supernatural sceptic questioned the existence of any ghosts at the pub, his Mini was picked up by an "invisible force" in the car park. It was left turned on its end with the side panelling battered.
Of course, the only way to find out if The Punchbowl is home to ghosts and poltergeists is to see them with your own eyes, but the fact that so many people claim to have crossed paths with them suggests the pub certainly is haunted.
What are your thoughts on the "haunted" Sefton pub? Let us know in the comments section below.
For more nostalgia stories, sign up to our Liverpool Echo newsletter here.
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here.
READ NEXT: Nurse 'injected air into babies' and then searched victim's families on Facebook, jury hears
DWP giving millions on Universal Credit and other benefits extra cash from next month
Girlfriend accompanied drug dealer and kept his stock inside herself
Liverpool hotel warning after Eurovision price hike
CCTV shows murder suspects moments after Sam Rimmer shot dead
