'A Playful Presence at a Country Inn'
The Green Man Inn is a country public house and hotel in the small rural village of Fownhope just outside of Hereford. It dates from 1485, the first year of the reign of Henry VII. This former coaching inn is home to many ghostly occupants who appear to enjoy teasing and tormenting the inn's staff and guests. The assistant manager of the inn once claimed a spirit locked him outside of the inn, and on another occasion locked him inside the cellar with ghostly hands that turned the keys in the lock. It is no surprise that this breathtaking inn has had so many strange goings-on as it is the oldest pub in the village and is known to have been the site of a petty sessional court in the 18th and 19th centuries. A rather disturbing ghostly sighting of a man in shackles has been seen walking here. Many criminals sent to this court would have been put in shackles and held in cells here, so the sighting of this ghost is perhaps a glimpse of this inns terrifying past.
The original name of the Green Man inn was "The Naked Boy". Local legend claims that the 'Green Man' name originates from a local chimney sweep boy who used to dress entirely in green. However there are many more stories about the origin of the name including the theory that it came from a John Greene who was innkeeper in 1707. The Green Man is also a name for the spirit of the Wildwood in British pagan mythology and it is tempting to think that the inns name is symbolic of its mysterious and untamed energy!
The inn has had many occupants over the centuries, the pub's first recorded landlord was William Fountain in 1788 and in the 1800's a King Connop took over the tenancy. In 1881 Eliza Connop was in charge and she was followed by the Samuel family who remained the inns owners for over fifty years. A notable landlord in later years was Thomas Spring who was the English bare knuckle champion boxer in the year 1823. Tom's early fights were local and were watched by the Duke of Norfolk at his residence at Holme Lacy House. Tom's most famous fight was against the Irish champion John Langan. This fight proved to be a tough bout, but Tom Spring eventually beat his opponent after 77 rounds. Tom subsequently moved to London and became landlord of the Castle Tavern in High Holborn in 1826. He died there in 1851 and is buried nearby.
A notable guest at The Green Man was the Roundhead soldier Colonel Birch during the English Civil War. He is thought to have stayed overnight at the Green Man after the siege of Goodrich Castle and may have also bought something of the horror of this struggle with him. The Green Man still attracts visitors and guests from all over the world today and is the meeting place for the Heart of Oak society founded in 1791, later becoming a friendly society in 1839.
The interior of the inn reveals much of its old timber-frame construction and retains many of its original features, despite having gone through several alterations since the 17th century. In 1948 the landlord J.P Nicholls gutted the building and removed much of the later additions and restored it to a more period appearance. On the wall at the back of the restaurant is a large wall mural painted in recent times, depicting the inns famous historical characters including the judges and the chimney sweeper.
A step inside this grand old pub is a step back into history. A particularly lucky visitor may even get to encounter the shimmering shadow that walks the bar and has been seen on numerous occasions. A brave guest who chooses to stay overnight in room 3 may join the long list of visitors who have fled in terror from its ghostly occupants and the mysterious moving mirror. The ancient and haunted Green Man Inn is certainly not a place to miss whilst driving through the lovely village of Fownhope.