PREVIEW

WORDS BYLINE: Roz Waters
Footage of an apparent apparition has been captured at a historic pub during a paranormal investigation.
Pictures and video purporting to show a former landlady of the Fleur de Lys in Pilley in the New Foret have been revealed by ghost-hunting duo Barry Depp and Dr Iain Lightfoot after a recent visit.
The Fleur de Lys, believed to be one of the oldest pubs in Hampshire, dates back to 1096. It was once home to monks who brewed and traded mead with locals.
The building has been a pub since at least 1498 and – legend has it – was the scene of a horrific murder after the landlord made a young girl pregnant, and pushed her down the stairs, dismembering her body in the cellar and then burying it in the garden.
For the pub's chef proprietor, Steve Hurst, the footage reinforces his long-held suspicion the pub is haunted by a number of ghosts.
“When I first arrived as landlord of the Fleur de Lys about 10 years ago I heard the ghost stories – but I was pretty sceptical," said Steve. “Over the years all sorts of things have happened to make me reconsider – from objects moving to my dogs going nuts and just barking at thin air.
“Everyone who has worked here over the years seems to have their own stories of ghosts, but they are definitely more of a protective force rather than something maleficent.
“We have all experienced a shape at the end of the bar – it is just there in the side of your vision or as you glance, and then when you turn there is nothing there.”
The pub became something of a mecca for paranormal enthusiasts after it featured on the TV show Help My House is Haunted in 2018.
“We had a lot of ghost hunters and mediums and people in paranormal circles,” said Steve. “This time last year I was contacted by two or three groups who wanted to come and do an investigation, but I just didn’t fancy it at all.
“It can all become quite a lot when you are trying to run a business.”
Steve was then contacted by Barry and Iain, who run Paranormal Hunters UK, and after chatting with the pair he agreed that they could visit the pub.
During the visit the pair told Steve they had made contact with a number of apparitions including a former monk called Maximillian who sat at the bar, a grey lady, and the young woman who was murdered.
“There were cameras set up all over the place, and I just had a feeling that there was something behind me. I just kept turning around and having a feeling there was something there.”
Following their visit, Iain and Barry reviewed the footage from the cameras and contacted Steve with news the film appeared to show the apparition of a former landlady still present within the building.
Barry revealed: “During post-investigation video analysis, a static camera positioned in the bar area captured what appears to be a female-shaped figure standing in the restaurant. The figure is briefly outlined by flashes of light, appearing twice within the same sequence before fading from view.
“We felt that the shape was clearly human in form and distinct from shadows, reflections, or environmental interference.”
The pair said the footage was particularly notable because it tied in with eyewitness testimony recorded earlier that evening.
Barry said: “During the investigation, Steve the landlord repeatedly said over a period of five to 10 minutes that there was ‘definitely someone standing behind me’, despite there being no visible person present at the time.
“The area he described corresponds directly with the location where the figure later appeared on camera.
“This is one of those rare moments where experience and evidence align. The landlord’s certainty, combined with what we later observed during video review, raises important questions about what or who may still be present within the building.
“The behaviour we observe doesn’t suggest something hostile,” added Barry. “If anything, the activity appears familiar, calm, and possibly protective.”
The footage is currently being reviewed to rule out environmental and mechanical explanations. To read the full investigation blog visit paranormalhuntersuk.co.uk