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Picture source: Peter Ashworth

The Galligreaves was situated at 2 Agnes Street.

The Galligreaves, previously Galligreaves House or Galligreaves Hall was nicknamed "Brandy Hall" about 1830 because it was built by John Pickup, whose father owned a firm of wine and spirit merchants. Joseph Harrison, the iron founder of Nova Scotia Mill, acquired the Hall from Pickup's widow in 1852. On Joseph's death in 1880, his youngest son, Henry, let the Hall to his mill manager,Thomas Sager, until he retired. My cousin Roy Sager, has the bell which Henry Harrison gave him, which used to be rung at Galligreaves to welcome in each New Year.  The Hall became a Conservative Club for a while, and then opened up as the Galligreaves Hotel for nearly 100 years. Andrea Natalie Golden, has written on the website of Photographs of Old Blackburn, that she was the last barmaid to work there. There was a tunnel in the cellar linked to St Lukes's Church. St Luke's Church was built on the site of Galligreaves Hall lodge. The tunnel has been blocked up but she said you could still see the candle holders in the wall at the entrance. Since 2002 Galligreaves Hall has been a pre-school nursery- CARE 4 KIDS.

Barbara Riding (July 2011)

From April 1963 to April 1965 the landlord was Thomas Bruce Dougdale Broughton. Then it was owned by Whitbread's brewery & they refurbished it for the new landlord. During the refurbishment the stairs from the cellar (under the bar) which led to the first floor were removed. The only access to the cellar from inside the pub was via the hatch door in the bar area. The landlord was convinced his jet black hair turned white overnight because the first Sunday morning they were in the pub he was in the cellar at 8.30am & he had the fright of his life because he saw the Lady in White ghost appear out of the blocked up tunnel in the wall carrying a candle. He was scared stiff, frozen solid & all of his hair stood on end. He said she was deep in thought, dressed in white & grey full length old fashioned clothes & he could see her clearly & see through her. She didn't look at him, she just walked up the stairs & disappeared through the blocked door which led to the first floor. The stairs he saw her walk up were not there because they had been removed during the refurbishment. When she disappeared he got out of the cellar through the hatch into the bar as fast as he could & had to have a few shots of whisky to calm himself down because he was scared silly. He hated to talk about what he saw & after years of not believing in ghosts he believed in them. For the next two years he avoided the cellar till 9am on Sundays because he wanted the White Lady to have some privacy / he was too scared of seeing her again. The locals used to ask him if he had seen the ghost & he denied it because he didn't want to admit he had been scared by a ghost.

TheDaisy515 (April 2019)

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