FROM the watching eyes of death masks to witch circles, Worcestershire ranks supreme when it comes to old pubs with odd, enthralling and sometimes slightly sinister architectural features.
Here is a list of pubs in Worcestershire where you can keep an eye out for some of these curious design quirks, some of which are still shrouded in mystery or, at the very least, hotly debated by historians.
The Witch Marks of the Fleece Inn, Bretforton
The Fleece Inn (the building dates back to medieval times) is known for its witch marks designed to offer ritual protection by keeping witches and other potentially maleficent forces from coming down the chimney.
They are visible by the fireplaces in two rooms - the Pewter Room (the oldest room in the medieval half-timbered building) and the Brewhouse Room. The Pewter Room features three such circles by the fireplace while the Brewhouse has two circles and a square.
The circles at the pub, owned by the National Trust, are a form of ancient insurance policy - a sort of magical defence or ritual protection - against ghoulish goings-on and maleficent forces intent on besieging the place.
The three painted heads at The Cocky Anchor in Broad Street
The Cocky Anchor only opened last November. One thing the venture has achieved is to shine a light on the building itself, surely one of the most interesting and captivating in Worcester.
One of the notable features is the three painted heads which stare out over Broad Street, believed to be a merchant, a soldier and a cleric.
However, there is some suggestion one of the heads might be that of a rabbi. Part of the building (the cupola at the very top) may have been a synagogue or was described as such by locals because it resembled one.
The elegant grade II* building, formerly known as Cupola House, dates from as early as 1720 (Historic England says 1740) and is certainly an architectural feast for anyone who likes a strong side order of culture with their pint.
The death mask of a 'traitor' who betrayed the king
Hidden at the back of the former Golden Lion pub (which became a Costa Coffee) in the High Street in Worcester lies the death mask of William Guise.
Unfortunately, due to the closure of the Costa branch on Wednesday, September 13, the death mask is somewhat difficult to see at the moment despite the efforts of Daniel Daniels, chairman of the Battle of Worcester Society, to make it more accessible to the public.
Guise was a local tailor who betrayed the royalists’ plans, helping Cromwell to take Worcester during the Battle of Worcester on September 3, 1651, the last Battle of the English Civil War. He was hanged for treachery. There is also a replica of the death mask inside the coffee shop itself with a plaque explaining its historic significance.
It is believed that the Golden Lion existed as a pub from at least the 16th Century.
The grade II listed building was once a mediaeval merchant’s house believed to have been built in the late 14th or early 15th century.
The dungeon and the dancing devil at King Charles House
King Charles House in New Street dates from 1577 and began life as a merchant’s house. Nestled within the crumbling remains of Worcester’s medieval walls, it was the scene of Charles II’s escape from the city after his defeat by the Cromwellian forces at the Battle of Worcester on September 3, 1651, the last battle of the English Civil War.
Cromwell’s victory over the Royalists was said to have been secured by a pact with the Devil at nearby Perry Wood. The general’s death mask is a short walk away at the former Royalist HQ, the Commandery in Sidbury.
The pub contains a magnificent fireplace with demonic motifs from 1634 (removed from Sidbury House). The somewhat sinister carvings show diners and the Devil. Another notable feature is the pub’s secret dungeon (an oubliette) in the floor where it is sometimes said - in jest one hopes - that the skeleton belongs to an erstwhile customer who declined to pay his bill.
The judge's wig hidden in the old fireplace of The Three Kings in Hanley Castle
The Three Kings in Hanley Castle near Upton is soaked to its ancient proverbial bones with history, hardly surprising in an area which once contained a hunting lodge for King John whose effigy still lies resplendent in the chancel of Worcester Cathedral.
One of the most peculiar discoveries in the Three Kings was what appears to be a mysterious 'judge's wig' found when a bricked-up fireplace was cleared.
The building itself dates back to the early 1500s, usually accepted as being the very end of the Middle Ages. The Three Kings Inn has been in the care of the same family for over a century.
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