The Plough, Ormskirk

The following article by Jamie Bowman entitled ‘Car crash awakens The Plough pub’s ghost according to landlady’ was published in the Ormskirk Advertiser on 19 July 2012.

‘AN ORMSKIRK landlady believes a car that crashed into her pub may have awakened a restless ghost.

Linda Roughley, who runs The Plough on Church Street, Ormskirk has experienced several spooky moments since the accident earlier this year.

“Things have definitely started happening since the crash,” said Linda.

“I have seen bottles move and rattle on their own and when I am alone in the pub I have felt a hand on my back and felt a presence at the end of the bar.”

The Grade II listed building suffered thousands of pounds of damage on January 21 this year after a drunk-driver smashed into the pub in the early hours of morning.

Just days later, Linda began to notice not all was as it seems.

“The first thing that happened was when a full bottle of gin flew off the wall in front of lots of customers,” she said.

After noticing bottles were regularly moving on their fixed optic stands, worse was to follow when Linda was coming up from the cellar.

“Everyone had gone and I was cashing up when I saw the heavy charity box we have hanging up, spinning around on its own before flying off on to the floor.”

“I grabbed my partner and said “come on, we’re leaving!”

Linda is convinced the ghost is Nancy Balshaw who was innkeeper at The Plough in the mid-19th century.

“Nancy lived here for many years after taking over the pub, which was then called The Tavern, from her father Charles.

“She is buried in the graveyard of the Parish Church right opposite the pub but I think that something has upset her.”

Despite the ghostly apparitions, Linda says she has no problem with sharing the pub with her long-dead predecessor.

“She doesn’t really bother me in the day and it is only really at night that we have noticed things,” she said.

“The customers certainly don’t seem to mind and they are always asking me what Nancy has been up to.”

Linda is now hoping that local historians and even ghost hunters might venture into the haunted hostelry.

“I’m not spooked at all,” said Linda. “I’m glad she’s still here and I hope she finds what she’s looking for.”