Located at 224 Regent Street, the Angel Inn ironically has a not so angelic history that goes back to the 18th century.
Built in 1789, the Harmonious Coach House once stood in the Inn’s place and gave refuge to a British soldier named Captain Swayze during the war of 1812. In order to evade the nearing Americans, Captain Swayze attempted to hide inside of a wine barrel only to be killed by the thrust of an American bayonet.
Shortly after, as the Americans began to retreat, the Harmonious Coach House was set ablaze, burning into the dirt with most of the city’s other landmarks. Mr. John Ross rebuilt the Coach House in 1815 and renamed the new facility the Angel Inn. The Inn saw many names during the 1800s, going under the titles of the Mansion House and Fraser’s Hotel before settling back to its original name, the Angel Inn.
Reports of the many haunting stories within the Inn began to surface in the 1820s, including a newspaper clipping that speaks of table settings being rearranged, footsteps heard from the dining room as well as conversation and laughter, and glasses clinking together in the cupboards.
A more recent report tells us of an owner awaking to the sound of an immense banging from outside the bedroom. After stepping out of bed, the owner had noticed that the horseshoe he had nailed to a post had been removed and thrown 20 feet onto the floor. Apparently the laughter and footsteps coming from the dining room are still heard regularly, and the sounds of a fife, a small flute formerly used in the military can be heard coming from the upstairs bedroom, along with heavy drumming.
The ghosts of eloquently dressed men and women have been seen mingling within the Inn, and a man sporting a red coat is often seen in the mirror hanging in the ladies room, which coincidentally is directly beside the cellar where Captain Swayze lived out his dying moments. Dishes often rattle in the cupboards, chairs literally thrown into the walls and kegs of beer, American beer, have been known to malfunction, if you will.
by: Chase Kell
