Friargate
- The Greyhound
(Written
by Wayne Anthony & Richard Felix)
If you are ever walking
up the tree-line area of Derby known as Friargate you may well be tempted
to stop off in The Greyhound.
And why not? It is certainly an attractive and pleasant public house.
However if you are male and have a particular Christian name you had better
be careful where you sit.
The Greyhound is home to what regulars refer to as the "cursed chair".
It gained it's notoriety when people noticed that particular men - all
sharing the same Christian name had died having sat there.
But the connections between The Greyhound and the spirit world do not
stop there. People have spoken of ghostly footsteps where no-one was walking
and various knocking and banging sounds emitting from empty rooms within
the building.
But why should The Greyhound suffer from a ghostly presence. Why this
public house and not others?
The answer may lie in the fact that The Greyhound is no average public
house. It was built sometime in the 17th century and stood opposite Derby's
second County Gaol. It has been noted that many prisoners were allowed
to drink on the way to the gallows after being sentenced to death by hanging.
Many people have suggested that due to its location The Greyhound would
have been one of the establishments visited.
Maybe there lingers something that is not ready to finish their final
drink, before getting "back on the wagon", and heading off to
their date with destiny.
