LIVING

The Ostrich Inn, Berkshire

The Ostrich Inn

History
The village of Colnbrook near Heathrow is home to one of the oldest pubs in Great Britain, The Ostrich Inn. The building dates back to the 15th century and stands on the site of an earlier Inn, in which King John is said to have quaffed ale on his way to sign the Magna Carta in 1215.

It is believed to be the third oldest hostelry in England hiding a grisly past behind its white painted walls. Iis said the landlord, a gentleman by the name of Jarman, and his wife murdered 60 wealthy, lone guests in their most luxurious suite, the Blue Room. A tilting bed, when activated by a lever, would hurl sleeping travellers through a trap door while they were sleeping. There they would land into a cauldron of boiling liquid in the brewing room below, scalding and drowning them. After disposing of the bodies in a nearby river, the couple would remove the travellers' horses to fool people into thinking their guest had left during the night. Their dark deeds caught up with them when the horse of a guest called Thomas Cole was found wandering the village. A flimsy alibi was given by the Jarmans as reason for his disappearance and when his body was later found in the stream the Jarmans were arrested.

They were both hanged for their crimes, and admitted murdering about 60 people. The local stream Coln brook is said to have been named after 'Cole in the brook'.


Phenomena
There have been recent reports of poltergeist activity at the inn such as wooden shutters moving by themselves and strange noises. A black figure has been seen as well as a woman in full Victorian dress standing in the ladies lavatory.


Investigation
Derek picks up the presence of a lady in pink, and then shouts out the name Thomas, startling the team. In the Blue Room he connects with a man called Jarman and senses a trap door situated nearby. In the kitchen, the sensation of drowning in oil overcomes Derek and senses the deaths of many people. During the night vigils, an object is seen to be thrown across the loft, with no explanation immediately obvious. One of the team claims to have been scratched or marked by something unseen. A number of strange noises are also reported.


Episode Information

Episode Number: 6
Season Num: 1
First Aired: Tuesday July 2, 2002