Wilton Row

The building that is currently occupied by the Grenadier Pub in Wilton Row, Knightsbridge was once part of the barracks of the Duke of Wellington's regiment. At that time it was used as the officer's mess where the young men could let off steam, skylarking, gambling and no doubt drinking to excess. The bar of the mess used to be situated where the cellar is now and it is in the bar that the origins of the haunting are said to have taken place.

One night a group of young men were said to be drinking heavily and unwisely decided to play cards. It is not known whether one of them acted intentionally or if he made some drunken mistake, but the story goes that one of them was caught cheating. The others, driven by the absurdly strict moral codes of such regiments at that time, are said to have stripped the offender bare and flogged him without mercy.

The poor unfortunate died of the injuries he received that night, and has been locked in his misery from that time forth. This story is corroborated by Gillian Cribbs, who wrote the book Ghosthunter in collaboration with Eddie Burks, a psychic. In the book she tells how Burks described a conversation with the poor guardsman in the cellar of the house. According to Burks, the guardsman claimed that he did not cheat intentionally and that his death was an accident; the result of over enthusiastic young men trying to teach one of their number a lesson.

Burks went on to describe the man as being unable to forgive his erstwhile friends, and his torment in not being able to free himself from his purgatory. Burks claimed that he was able to help free the guardsman from his torment and asserts that in the future he will not be seen in the Grenadier Pub. Time will tell if he is correct

. Other, less dramatic but still interesting stories, are told of poltergeist activity in various places in the pub but mainly in the cellar and bathroom. Peter Martin the landlord, was having a quiet drink after closing time with his friend, Edward Weber, when they

witnessed a bottle float off a shelf and explode in mid-air. Luckily, but perhaps strange in itself, it was not a bottle of spirits! On another occasion, keys went missing but were seconds later found in the place where they were always kept. This is a story that is repeated in more than one book,

but I have to admit that it also seems to be quite a commonplace event, certainly in our household! One final note about the activity at the Grenadier; it always happens at about the same time of year, in September. And by coincidence, the guardsman who suffered so terribly at the hands of his colleagues also died in September! witnessed a bottle float off a shelf and explode in mid-air. Luckily, but perhaps strange in itself, it was not a bottle of spirits!

On another occasion, keys went missing but were seconds later found in the place where they were always kept. This is a story that is repeated in more than one book, but I have to admit that it also seems to be quite a commonplace event, certainly in our household! One final note about the activity at the Grenadier; it always happens at about the same time of year, in September. And by coincidence, the guardsman who suffered so terribly at the hands of his colleagues also died in September!

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