Hauntings

The poisoned night porter of the George Hotel

The George Hotel, High Street, Crawley

Inn dates from c.1500; porter's death undated

The George is a former coaching inn on the High Street, built in the late 15th or early 16th century and renovated in the 18th and 19th. Wikipedia lists it as reputedly haunted by a night watchman called Mark Hurston, or Hewton, who died by drinking poisoned wine.

There are two explanations for the poison. In one, the wine was planted to trap an intruder who kept breaking into the inn. In the other, it was put there by a guest angry at being woken. SussexLive adds that he liked to bring wine to guests late at night and finished what they left, and that a guest annoyed by his offerings poisoned the cup.

Staff are reported to have complained of unpleasant feelings in his room and to have seen movements and faint shapes in the corridors. Lights are said to turn themselves on and off, a locked broom cupboard was found open and strange figures have been seen. Room seven is said to hold evil spirits, though no detail is given. The acid-bath murderer John George Haigh is documented as having stayed and dined at the hotel on the day of one of his killings, but that is an actual history point and not part of the ghost story. No date for the porter's death was found, so the story is held as tradition.

Hotel open to guests and diners.
Evidence
Long-standing local tradition
Access
Open ground
Location
51.111, -0.187 (Sited to the building or field)

Sources: Wikipedia, "The George Hotel, Crawley" [other]; SussexLive, "Crawley's haunted high street which acted as a smugglers hangout" (24 Oct 2021) [other]

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