Skirrid Mountain Inn, Llanvihangel Crucorney
The Skirrid Inn is thought to be the oldest inn in Wales, so old that its roots can be traced back to the Norman Conquest. It stands in the shadow of the Skirrid Mountain which is reputedly cursed. The history and paranormal activity surrounding the Inn is dark at best - are you ready to walk in to the shadow of the Skirrid Mountain Inn?
History
Thought to date back to the Norman Conquest, the Skirrid Inn has a formidable past. The first written record of the Skirrid Inn dates back to 1011, at time when the 'devil was said to ride abroad'. At this time, it is reported that each night the Inn Keeper were pour out a pot of 'devils brew' and place it on the shelf above the fire place to ward off or to pacify any evil spirits. It is possible that the Inn Keeper may also have left a jug of 'pwcca' on the front step of the Inn after the last customer had left, to keep away any troublesome or playful spirits of the night.
It is said that the troops of Owen Glendower were rallied in the forecourt of the Inn prior to marching to Pontrilas to fight the English in one of the many battles in which he was involved.
In the early 16th century, the property fell in to the hands of the Barony of Abergavenny, more specifically Edward Nevyle. The property was lost to the family by a royal act, but was returned shortly after the the third year of the reign of Mary Tudor. Following on from this small glitch, the property remained in the ownership of the family until 1900 when the property was sold to David Lewis, a professional Inn Keeper
Perhaps the best known use of the Inn, during the ownership of the Nevyle dynasty, was as a Court where the bloody judge, Judge John Jefferies presided. Prisoners condemned to death were said to have spent thier final hours in what us now a cupboard on a landing between the ground floor and first floor of the property. Unusually, those who were to meet their fate by hanging were hung inside the property - from a beam on the top floor.
Paranormal
There have been many reports of paranormal activity at the Skirrid Inn. These include:
* The ghost of Fanny Price is said to roam the property.
* Unknown faces have appeared at various windows of the property.
* Unexplained knock, bangs and most notably foot steps
* Cold spots
* An unknown male apparition has been seen at the bottom of the staircase.