Daniel Craig buys a 250-year-old haunted Clerkenwell pub and vows to leave ghost a pint

From the Newshound archive · first published 9 October 2026 · last updated 10 October 2026.

James Bond actor Daniel Craig, 58, has become co-owner of the Horseshoe, a 250-year-old pub in Clerkenwell, only to discover the cellar is reportedly haunted by a hangman's ghost named Gilbert. Retiring landlady Pauline Tucker admitted she forgot to mention the spirit before the sale, insisting of Gilbert: 'You don't see him. You feel him.' Craig joked he would leave a pint in the cellar, saying: 'I don't know what he drinks but we might have to leave one down there.'

Craig's co-owners include Soho House founder Nick Jones, Flat Iron steakhouse founder Charlie Carroll, and Bad Belze beer brand creative director Justin O'Shea.

Craig grew up in pubs — his parents ran the Ring O'Bells in Frodsham, Cheshire, and his grandparents owned another in Chester.

He has vowed to keep the Horseshoe as a proper 'boozer' for all, promising a refurbishment but ruling out turning it into a gastropub.