Five guilty of demolishing historic pub 'haunted' by Ned King's ghost

Owners of ‘haunted’ Grade-II listed 18th century pub which was knocked down without consent are found guilty of unlawfully demolishing building

• Five people found guilty of illegally demolishing historic 18th century pub
• The group were from the company which initially purchased the Punch Bowl Inn
• Defence argued heritage building needed to be flattened over structural issues
• The five people involved will all be sentenced over incident in the new year 

The owners of a heritage listed pub reputedly haunted by notorious highwayman Ned King have been found guilty of unlawfully demolishing the historic boozer.

Five people from the company which originally purchased the Punch Bowl Inn in Hurst Green, Lancashire, were found guilty by a jury at Burnley Magistrates Court of illegally flattening it in June last year.

Andrew and Nicola Donelan, 60 and 58, along with Rebecca Donelan, 28, David Cotterell, 57, and Brian Ingleby, 69, will all be sentenced on January 24 after yesterday’s decision.

During a four-day trial, which started on November 30, the defence tried to argue that the Grade-II listed building needed to be flattened due to structural issues.

The Punch Bowl Inn, pictured here before its demolition, is thought to have dated back to the 18th Century

But a key witness, construction firm boss Gez Pegram, told the jury there had been ‘no need’ to demolish the pub.

And the judge agreed that although the building was in a bad state, he was ‘unconvinced’ it needed to be reduced to rubble.

Ribble Valley Borough Council brought the case to court after earlier serving a formal notice on the owners to rebuild the pub brick by brick following its demolition.

All five defendants were found guilty of executing the demolition of the building, while Andrew Donelan, Nicola Donelan, Cotterell and Ingleby were also charged with failing to notify the local authority of the intended demolition.

The boozer, built in the 18th century, is said to be haunted by the ghost of notorious highway robber Ned King.

During a four-day trial, which started on November 30, the defence tried to argue that the Grade-II listed building needed to be flattened due to structural issues 

Local legend states the inn was built in the 1720s and was visited by King and fellow crook Dick Turpin in 1738 as they started their new trade in highway robbery.

Turpin then left for York while King teamed up with landlord Jonathan Briscow to hold up horse-drawn carriages at a nearby crossroads.

King robbed 14 coaches before being caught and executed in 1741, and his ghost was said to roam the boozer along with Turpin’s.

The site was acquired by Donelan Trading Ltd of Wilpshire, who were granted planning permission in 2018 to convert it into five holiday lets and a cafe.

However the building, which had been unoccupied since the pub closed in 2012, had fallen in to disrepair.

And locals were shocked last June to see the old pub, believed to have been built in 1793, demolished to rubble.

Locals were shocked last June to see the old pub, believed to have been built in 1793, demolished to rubble 

It had been given listed status in 1983, designed to protect the heritage. 

At the time Katherine Turner, from Stonyhurst said: ‘It’s so sad. It has always been a part of village life. I was driving past and couldn’t believe it.’

Historic England said it was ‘saddened’ the late pub was demolished ‘without consent’.

In reports by planning officers written before the pub’s demolition, they said a proposed caravan development would be harmful to the setting of the listed inn building, the open countryside and the Forest of Bowland area.

All five defendants will be sentenced on January 24 at Burnley Magistrates Court.

How a Lancashire pub became ‘haunted by an infamous highwayman’ 

Local legend says infamous highwayman Dick Turpin stayed at the inn with accomplice Ned King

The Punch Bowl Inn is known to have stood on the slopes of the Ribble Valley since the 18th century.

While a stone above the door dates the building back to 1793, locals say the building actually dates back to earlier in the century.

One local legend suggests it was used as a resting spot by two notorious highwaymen – Dick Turpin and Ned King.

Folklore states the pair arrived in 1739 after riding from Essex, with Turpin deciding to move onto York while King stayed behind.

It is claimed the landlord of the pub, Jonathan Brisco, helped King as he robbed travelers on nearby roads. 

The legend goes he was finally caught by a group of red coats, who surrounded the pub, killing Briscow and capturing King.

There would be no reprieve for the highwayman though, with the ghost hunters claiming he was hanged from a tree outside the pub, leading to the pub becoming haunted. 

Life at the pub went on, with an extension added in the mid 19th Century, and it received listed status in 1983.

However, its fortunes took a turn for the worse and it was put up for sale in 2013.

Since then it has lain empty, with successive planning applications to bring it back into use being rejected before its seemingly premature demolition in June last year.

Source: Read Full Article