Ghosts and Murders at the Old Blueberry Inn, Blewbury
14 December 2022 (Updated 1 January 2023)
Although it is no longer a public house, the Grade II listed building that once housed the Blueberry Inn has rumours of murder, and is said to be haunted by the ghost of a former landlord.
Rumours of murder
According to Roger Long's Curious Oxfordshire, back when the Blueberry inn was a busy coaching inn a number of guests disappeared in mysterious circumstances. These guests are supposed to have been secretly done away with at the inn, and buried in the inn's garden with a fruit free (perhaps a blueberry bush?) planted over each grave.
Long suggests no motive for these alleged crimes, but hints that the landlord may have been at least complicit in these murders.
Ghosts of the Blueberry Inn, Blewbury
Despite the dark crimes mentioned above, the ghosts who are said to haunt the building are not those of the murder victims. The ghost is said to be from a much more recent period.
The ghost is believed to be that of a former owner by the name of Edwin, who died in 1951. The sound of ghostly footsteps sometimes heard at night walking between a bedroom and the bar are said to be Edwin's.
A map showing the Blueberry Inn under its old name, the New Inn.
Notes on location
The old Blueberry Inn is now a private residence, and should not be confused with a newer public house further along the London Road that has borrowed the name Blueberry Inn.
The pub was originally opened as the King William Inn in 1830, later changing its name to the New Inn, and finally the Blueberry Inn in the early 20th century. The pub closed its doors in 2003.
Sources
- 'Curious Oxfordshire' by Roger Long (Sutton Publishing, 2008, ISBN: 9780750949576)
