In the centre of High Wycombe, sits The Golden Lion pub, a listed building steeped with a rich history reaching back to the 18th century. But the intriguing charm of the establishment is a tale entwined with mystery, heartbreak and a haunting wheelbarrow.
The story begins with a regular patron of The Golden Lion, a hardened labourer known to everyone as ‘Old Amos’. Amos, who was a road worker with a love for ale, would frequent the pub every evening after a long day of toil. He was inseparable from his wheelbarrow, always leaving it outside the pub as he partook in his nightly ritual.
One tragic evening, Amos’ life was abruptly taken in a bar brawl. His lifeless body was returned to his family, placed in his trusty wheelbarrow for his final journey. Old Amos was buried in the local cemetery, but his spirit, as locals claim, never found rest.
Patrons of The Golden Lion have relayed tales of a ghostly figure in old workman’s clothes wandering the vicinity of the pub, especially the cellars where the wheelbarrow was reportedly stored post his demise. Most chilling was the spectral manifestation of a wheelbarrow that would eerily move on its own accord.
Witnesses report varying activity, from eerie whispering sounds to draughts sweeping through the pub, contributing to beliefs of a haunted inn. Furthermore, poltergeist activity, related to the mischievousness of Old Amos’s spirit, was said to be responsible for objects being moved or disappearing entirely and resurfacing in unexpected places. Despite unsuccessful attempts to exorcise the friendly spirit, the tales of the haunted wheelbarrow continue to draw a curious crowd to the inn, adding to the mystic charm.