Inside eerie 'haunted' pub frozen in time with everything untouched since 1960s
An eerie pub said to be haunted by old punters has been left frozen in time after shutting down suddenly one night in the 1960s.
Everything within the Valiant Soldier - the decor, pint glasses, tables, chairs and even the change in the till - has been untouched since it close over 50 years ago.
After having its license revoked the pub stopped serving when the last customer left - and never began again.
The old tavern in Buckfastleigh, Devon, recently opened as a time capsule-style museum which gives visitors a glimpse into the lives of those who lived and drank there.
And if the 'Marie Celeste' vibe of the place wasn't eerie enough - staff say they have noticed a high level of paranormal activity.
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Some believe that the ghouls are old regulars who used to frequent the boozer when it was thriving throughout the early part of the 20th century.
The pub shut down in 1965 after its licence was revoked (Western Daily Press)Rodney Sparks, who has volunteered at the museum for five years, said: "We have an official certificate to say it's haunted.
"It's certainly possible old drinkers haunt the pub.
"During WW2 soldiers used it and it was its busiest time.
"It all sounds very exciting, but a bit creepy at the same."
The Valiant Soldier had various landlords through the 19th and early 20th centuries and in 1939 its last landlord, Mark Roberts, became the tenant.
It was at its most popular during the Second World War (Western Daily Press)In 1965 the brewery decided that there were too many pubs in the small market town and withdrew the licence.
Mr and his wife Alice promptly downed tools as the last customers left the premises, leaving everything just as it was.
The doors remained closed to drinkers even after the couple bought the property from the brewery years later.
Mr Roberts died in 1969 but his wife, Alice carried on living in the upper part of the property until the mid-90′s.
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When the pub doors closed the family left that area untouched and there was a huge number of bills, invoices, letters and photographs remaining.
Much of the pub has been left the same as the night it closed (SWNS)They allowed historians to study the workings of a small mid-20th century town pub.
Teignbridge Council acquired the pub in 1997 and a trust was formed which set about recording and preserving what it contained before opening it to the public.
The attic in particular was described as an Aladdin's cave of everyday objects and memorabilia.
Museum committee member John Parr says he has experienced many unexplained events while he has been there.
He said: "It is not evil, it is not threatening, but on occasion, it will let its presence be known."
It is now a museum and time capsule (SWNS)Abie Dent, the chair of Haunted Devon, said there were many spirits from the past at the pub.
She said: "It is a wonderful venue and very close to our hearts.
"It is a place spirits of the past are very much present even if the pub is no longer there.
"In the main bar you often get the smell of tobacco pipe smoke and cigarettes even though no-one has smoked there for decades.
"This could be the fact the smell of smoke is trapped in the building - or it could be an old patron of the past having a pint and puffing away."
She added: "We have been investigating the site for a long time and so much goes on there.
"In the ladies bar there is the spirit of a woman who has communicated through scratches and bangs and we also get footsteps running up and down the corridors upstairs from the pub.
"There used to be a blind that flew off the window and we have also had a light-bulb flying out of its fixing.
"I think some of the activity could be because some of it has been untouched over the years - it could be residual energy.
"This is where people's emotions and things happened become trapped in the fabric of the building and plays back like a tape recorder.
"This could be because the venue was not disturbed and no one was living there or laid new energy so it was preserved from that time period."
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