Guests and staff have for years encountered the unexplainable at The Bull. One commonly reported phenomenon is the sound of someone walking along the upstairs corridors when no one is there – heavy booted footsteps that carry on and sometimes the distinct jangle of keys, as if an unseen night watchman were making his rounds. This playful yet unnerving entity has been nicknamed “Fred” by employees. He never shows himself, but his presence is palpable. Another famous story involves a ghostly dog: in the 19th century, a coachman’s black Labrador was run over by a coach in the courtyard; now a spectral dog with muddy paws is said to roam the hotel. Housekeepers have opened empty guest rooms to find paw prints on a freshly made bed, with no sign of a real animal. Some guests also speak of a shadowy figure in a long coat seen briefly at the end of a hallway or near the cellar stairs, thought to be a monk or perhaps a past hotel manager continuing his duties.