Actor Louis Tappenden to host supernatural story night at The Pack Horse pub in Affetside

Founded in 1442, the Pack Horse, in Watling Street, Affetside, sits on the highest point of the Roman road between Manchester and Ribchester.

One of the pub’s main attractions is the skull which sits in the bar area, believed to be that of the Earl of Derby’s executioner, George Whowell.

It is said that Mr Whowell witnessed his family being murdered by the Earl, James Stanley, who had led an assault on Bolton by Royalist troops during the Civil War in 1644, in what became known as the Bolton massacre.

A number of years later, Stanley was executed outside Ye Olde Man and Scythe in Bolton town centre after being found guilty of assisting the Royalists.

Fittingly, his executioner was none other than the local ‘headsman’ George Whowell.

The means by which Mr Whowell’s skull ended up at the Pack Horse are uncertain, but some say that he was a regular drinker there.

Tradition says that if the skull is removed from the pub then mysterious things will happen.

Capitalising on the intrigue which surrounds the skull, the pub held a ghost stories evening last Halloween, and, on the back of its success, they are hosting another event this year, but with a more theatrical twist.

The man behind the performances is Louis Tappenden, a professional actor who has previously worked at the Octagon Theatre in Bolton for two years as well as appearing in the TV series Cucumber.

Mr Tappenden, aged 27, is now a manager at the pub and will be putting on a one-man performance titled ‘What George Saw (the history of the unliving)’.

He said: “Last year it was mostly ghost stories which the local village or area had described to me, as well as a text from Edgar Allan Poe.

“As I promoted it I heard more and more stories of people’s experiences so I am hoping to take it in a different direction and expand on that with a more theatrical performance.

“George’s story has been told and mistold. There are so many different tales and twists on the experiences people have had up here and that he is haunting the place.

“I don’t think anyone will ever know the real truth, which is why it is such a great story.

“As humans, we are so drawn to supernatural stories. They come from within, from our own thoughts.

“Whether these stories are true or not, we have this natural desire to have these creatures that scare us and it is quite a strange thing.

“The idea of the skull and people being scared of moving it, that sort of thing has happened all the way through time.

“The pub’s history and the weather we have up here with the fog on the moors is a great backdrop for this sort of thing. It brings an aura to the performance.”

The performance begins at 8pm tonight, and is expected to last between 30-45 minutes.

It will be followed by a live music set from Bury-based singer/songwriter Conor Molloy.

Tickets are £5 per person, with £2.50 from each sale being donated towards the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital

To book contact the Pack Horse on 01204 884584 or through their Facebook page - www.facebook.com/packhorseaffetside.