Wallasey’s Oldest Pub Hides Gruesome Secrets
Tucked on Magazine Brow, the Pilot Boat Inn opened in 1747 as Wallasey’s oldest surviving pub, serving smugglers and sailors navigating treacherous Mersey approaches. Beneath its cozy bars lie former morgue cellars where fishermen’s bodies awaited identification—now haunted by those restless drowned souls. A coffin lid etched with teen smuggler Jake Bolt’s portrait warns against removal, lest his spirit rage further.
The Morgue Cellars’ Dark Legacy
Jake Bolt’s Eternal Vigil
In 1749, 17-year-old Jake Bolt’s body lay examined in these cellars after a botched smuggling run. Staff report his apparition—pale face pressed against glass coffin replicas—vanishes when photographed. Glasses shatter spontaneously near his wall portrait, and cold blasts extinguish candles despite roaring fires. Previous landlords documented identical incidents spanning centuries.
Drowned Mariners’ Chorus
Patrons hear wet footsteps ascending cellar stairs at closing time, accompanied by salty air and distant waves crashing. Shadowy figures in oilskins peer from beer taps, dissolving into mist. Historic documents unearthed in 1990s renovations listed unidentified sailors processed here during 19th-century storms.
Recent Paranormal Evidence
Vigil Footage Captures Chaos
A 2023 overnight investigation recorded slamming trapdoors, disembodied growls, and 20kg barrels rolling uphill across uneven stone floors. Thermal cameras detected 14 cold spots matching documented body locations from morgue era. Bar staff refuse solo cellar shifts after chairs violently overturning around 3 AM.
Smugglers’ Revenge Manifests
Objects vanish from tables then reappear submerged in barrels. A landlady’s necklace—identical to one owned by Jake’s mother—surfaced inexplicably behind locked cooler doors. The atmosphere thickens pre-dawn, with breathing heard inches from investigators’ ears.
DeadLive Calls for Brave Investigators
The Pilot Boat’s morgue cellars beckon serious teams—will you document Jake and his drowned companions during our Wirral ghost hunts?
We would love to investigate Pilot Boat Inn, but right now we are running events at Lark Lane Liverpool, Mayer Hall Wirral, Vernon Institute Chester, Penrhyn Old Hall, Coffee House Wavertree, Transport Museum Manchester.
DeadLive – taking you where the haunting is happening.