Wadebridge, Cornwall
The Molesworth Arms Hotel in Wadebridge is renowned for its spectral residents and unexplained phenomena. The most prominent haunting involves a phantom coach that makes a dramatic appearance in the courtyard precisely at midnight on December 31st. This ethereal carriage, drawn by four spectral horses and guided by a headless coachman, then proceeds to vanish through the hotel's hallway. Beyond this grand spectacle, guests have reported more intimate, unsettling experiences, such as a kettle inexplicably boiling on its own and a television emitting sound despite being turned off, suggesting a more subtle, yet equally pervasive, unseen presence within the hotel's walls.
The Phantom Coach of New Year's Eve, The Restless Presence (poltergeist phenomena)
The chilling tale of the phantom coach at the Molesworth Arms is a New Year's Eve tradition for some, a terrifying encounter for others. As the clock strikes midnight on December 31st, witnesses describe a spectral coach materializing in the hotel courtyard. The sight is vivid: four horses, their hooves silent on the cobblestones, pull a grand carriage, its driver a chilling figure with no head. The coach then glides eerily through the courtyard and into the hotel's hallway before disappearing without a trace. This recurring apparition has been a source of fascination and fear for generations, with some witnesses seeing the coach and others only hearing its ghostly passage. In addition to this dramatic display, a guest once reported a more personal and unnerving experience within their room. They recounted how their kettle began to boil on its own, without being plugged in or switched on, and the television, though turned off, inexplicably emitted sounds. These isolated incidents suggest that the Molesworth Arms is home to more than just the grand phantom coach, hinting at a pervasive, unseen energy that can manipulate objects and create disembodied sounds, adding to the hotel's reputation as a truly haunted location.
A spectral coach drawn by four horses and driven by a headless coachman materialises in the hotel courtyard at midnight on December 31st, before vanishing through the hallway.
An unseen entity that manipulates electrical equipment, causes kettles to boil spontaneously, and creates sounds from switched-off televisions throughout the hotel.
16th century coaching inn (circa 1500s)
Coaching inn and tavern
The Molesworth Arms is one of Cornwall's most historically significant coaching inns, dating back to the 16th century. Originally operating under various names including The Fox, The King's Arms, and The Fountain, it received its current name in 1817 to honour the influential Molesworth family who were auditors to the Duchy of Cornwall. The inn served as a vital stopping point on Cornwall's coaching routes for over 500 years, witnessing the transformation from horse-drawn transport to the railway age when the Bodmin and Wadebridge Railway arrived in 1834. Its Grade II listing recognises both its architectural significance and its role in Cornwall's transport and hospitality heritage.
Tudor/Georgian with original stone construction, exposed beams, and period features
Visual (Phantom Coach, Headless Coachman, Horses), Audio (Sound of phantom coach, Sound from turned-off TV), Poltergeist activity (Kettle boiling on its own)
The hotel courtyard where the phantom coach materializes at midnight on New Year's Eve, main hotel hallway through which the spectral carriage passes before vanishing, guest rooms where poltergeist activity including self-boiling kettles and phantom TV sounds have been reported, and the original coaching inn areas where centuries of travellers and horses would have passed through during the building's operational history as a vital stop on Cornwall's coaching routes.
Multiple witnesses have documented the dramatic New Year's Eve phantom coach sightings, describing the vivid spectacle of four spectral horses drawing a grand carriage guided by a headless coachman that appears in the courtyard at precisely midnight on December 31st before gliding through the hotel hallway and disappearing. Individual guests have provided detailed testimonials about intimate poltergeist experiences, including a guest who reported their kettle beginning to boil on its own without being plugged in or switched on, and a television emitting sounds despite being turned off, suggesting a pervasive supernatural presence capable of manipulating electronic devices and household appliances.
While formal paranormal investigations have not been extensively documented, the hotel's supernatural reputation has been built through generations of consistent witness accounts, particularly the annually recurring phantom coach phenomenon that has become a New Year's Eve tradition for some and a terrifying encounter for others. The building's 500-year continuous operation as a coaching inn provides ample historical context for ongoing supernatural activity.
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📅 Sample dates:2025-08-28 to 2025-08-30 • 2 adults
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Paranormal Tip: Book rooms near the hotel courtyard where the phantom coach materializes at midnight on new year's eve for the best chance of supernatural encounters!
Address:
Molesworth Street, Wadebridge, PL27 7DP
Status: Operating
Public Access
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