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The Talbot Inn (Leicester)

Published: March 13, 2007

THE HISTORY OF THE LOCATION

Buried deep in the heart of Leicester and the hear of the infamous Belgrave Triangle lies The Talbot Inn. The Belgrave triangle came to light in December 1998, when a strange image was captured on the CCTV Cameras at Belgrave Hall, the image only lasts for around 2 seconds but seems to be that of a figure standing in the gardens.Many people have seen the photographs taken, and many have arrived at the conclusion of a leaf blowing in the shot originally triggered by a wild animal or cat. The mist running along the back wall however, still remains a topic of much debate. Could it be a car exhaust (considering there are no roads that side of the gardens), a Spider very close to lens, or something Paranormal? The debate continues.

The events that transpired in 1998 opened the door of Belgrave Hall, and allowed different Investigators to visit including the famous ISPR team (including a young Derek Acorah). During their investigation the ghosts of Belgrave Hall made themselves known to the team and the world watched as the history of Belgrave Hall unravelled before their eyes.Ghost sightings at Belgrave Hall have seemingly been a very common occurrence, one of the gardeners swears he encountered a woman dressed in Victorian clothing walking down the stairs. It is said that the stopped, turned to look at him, smiled and then vanished into the kitchen. Inspections of the kitchen were carried out and nothing was found.

This, it seems, was just the tip of the iceberg for the Belgrave Triangle.

Next door to Belgrave Hall lies Belgrave Church, and its cemetery. During routine work bones were uncovered buried in what looked like a mass burial pit. They were re-interred but since that time visitors and Paranormal Investigators to the area have reported strange phenomena at work, including Orbs, Noises and ghostly apparitions.

The Talbot Inn seemed to remain out of the picture,

From its original inception the Inn used to host paying guests as they travelled through Leicester and near outlying villages of the north. During these times, all people would had have to pass the Talbot Inn on their way to the toll bridge and the city.

Travellers and locals alike would use the Talbot Inn as a hostelry, and as Loughborough Road did not exist: all villains would pass the Talbot on their way to the gallows. Most villains intended for the gallows would be allowed a final drink at the Talbot Inn, to sum up enough “Dutch courage” for their final journey. Once the deed had been done, the bodies were then taken back to the Talbot inn, where the outbuildings were used as a rudimentary morgue.

There are two cellars in the Talbot Inn, but only is in use today. The other has been bricked up. The main cellar runs under the lounge bar, and is split into 2 types of stonework. The front part being ancient, and certainly would have formed part of the original structure, and can also be dated between the 11th and 12th centuries. The second cellar runs along the front, under the bar area - it was possibly used by the servants and licensee as their living accommodation.

In the late 1950’s a fire raged through the Talbot Inn and in 1958 the local authorities granted the Inn a sum of money for repairs. This was when the third floor was removed. From that point, the Talbot Inn no longer took paying guests.

The building you see is only a few hundred years old and has had considerable alterations over the years. The main cellar now stores cask ales, and there are arches in the walls which are bricked up ... these may be tunnels or priest holes. It is rumoured that these tunnels could lead to Belgrave Hall and the nearby Church.

PREVIOUS PARANORMAL PHENOMENA

1. The figure of a lady has been seen walking through the false wall late at night, she had long flowing hair and was commonly named as Hairy Mary. There was a Mary Dawson who had 6 children and was at one time, the landlady of the pub. A lot of staff will not enter the cellar.

2. The figure of a small boy has been seen by a previous occupant, in the fireplace of the lounge. He was sitting on a stool, swinging his legs and smiling. He has also been seen in the cellar by the same person.

3. The face of a man has been seen through the window at the back of the lounge, he was said to have a heavily disfigured face.

4. A shimmering figure was seen by a previous landlady as she did some gardening, on the border outside (next to the car park). It was the height of a small man and moved slightly. The landlady had been warm, but went cold and was unable to move through fear. It vanished very quickly.

5. A man has been seen several times by two separate landlords. The man appears by the bar wearing an old caped raincoat, he carries an old leather purse and is said to open it, search for a few coins before walking through the wall to his left. Although he was seen to walk through the wall, this was the entrance before the pub alterations.

6. On several occasions, noises have been heard from upstairs when the flat has been empty.

THE INVESTIGATION

Never before has the Haunted Britain team experienced so much on an investigation. By far, this was the best investigation we have ever come across!!! And the ghosts were more than willing to let themselves be known.

We started the investigation shortly after midnight, with Rob and Paul in the main bar and Gemma and Sanny downstairs in the basement. The basement is reported to be awash with activity so it was with some trepidation that the girls descended into the black.

Shortly after we set up the locked off camera (focusing on the old skittles table) they heard the most blood-curdling scream and ran (adrenaline fuelled) to the basement to check on the girls. Gemma was clearly shaken, and described turning around and seeing a woman staring down at her and looking very upset that the girls had dared to enter the basement.

The team took 5 minutes out, and re-gathered their thoughts before beginning again. Upon viewing the locked off camera footage, a light anomaly was caught seconds after the boys left.

The team then decided to go into the main bar again and attempted to communicate with any spirits present. A perfect light anomaly was caught rising from the floor roughly 3 feet in front of the camera, and it seemed to head towards the bar. Nothing seemed to show itself after this and the group then re-entered the lounge section.

The rest of the group then decided to re-enter the darkness that was the cellar. Paul and Gemma sat in the main lounge in the comfort of some light and heard a scream again (this time it was a gas cylinder which released pressure just as rob was looking at it). Other members of the group then left the basement after approximately 5 minutes and both reported an oppressive feeling, again the team took time out.

The group (excluding Gemma) decided to take a few more shots of the basement, but as soon as the door was opened Paul was scratched across his back and a clear red mark was seen but faded shortly afterwards on Paul's lower back, as this happened a light anomaly is seen to circle Rob and fade.

The group then re-entered the main bar for the final section of the investigation, and a clear light anomaly was caught on camera. Upon asking any spirits present to show themselves, a loud click was heard following by a "thud", and every member of the group noticed this. To view the video footage of the orb captured on camera just click the play button below.

Upon viewing the photographs and video evidence back (at 4am) we seem to have found a compelling piece of evidence. A mans face can clearly be seen looking down at Gemma in the main bar. This photograph was taken by Gemma during normal conditions, no one reported seeing anything at this time, and she was sat on her own. This is reported to be one of the main ghosts of the Talbot Inn, and various other people have bore witness to this terrifying sight.