Landlords who demolished ‘haunted’ pub visited by Dick Turpin face excessive court docket
The owners who razed a historic, Grade-II listed pub illegally are now embroiled in a court battle after failing to build it.
Lancashire boozer The Punch Bowl Inn is said to be visited by Dick Turpin and believed to be haunted by the ghost of fellow highway man Ned King.
It was demolished by Donelan Trading Ltd in 2021 after the group reportedly grew tired of waiting for council permission to bulldoze the building.
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The group’s members, Andrew Donelan, 61, Nicola Donelan, 59, and Rebecca Donelan, 29, David Cotterell, 58, and Brian Ingleby, 70, were taken to court by Lancashire Council.
(Image: Matthew Lofthouse / SWNS)
Along with contractor Percliff, they were ordered to pay £69,125 in fines and costs in March last year after they were found guilty of unlawfully tearing the historic pub down.
The property group were also ordered to rebuild the historic pub, which was found in the village of Hurst Green, brick by brick to its original plan and using architectural records.
Donelan Trading Ltd were ordered to complete the rebuild by March this year. however no reconstruction work has taken place, so the council has applied to the High Court for an injunction to force the owners to comply with its enforcement notice.
(Image: google earth)
A local authority report to the Ribble Valley Council’s planning and development committee meeting last week said the pub’s current state was “not acceptable”.
It read: “Committee will recall that the council issued an Enforcement Notice (and successfully defended its appeal) requiring the owner to restore the building to its former state within one year of the notice taking effect.
“This period elapsed in March 2024.
(Image: Matthew Lofthouse / SWNS)
“Throughout the period the council has endeavoured to ensure that this was complied with and has corresponded with, discussed in person and facilitated meetings on site with the highway authority and traffic management companies.
“Notwithstanding these efforts the owner has failed to restore the building and maintains a position that any restoration of the building should be in a different position from its original site.”
The boozer was visited by crooks Turpin and King in 1738 as they started their new trade in highway robbery.
(Image: google earth)
Turpin then left to head to York while King teamed up with landlord Jonathan Briscow to hold up horse-drawn carriages at a nearby crossroads.
King robbed 14 coaches before being caught and executed in 1741 and his ghost was said to roam the boozer along with Turpin’s.
The pub closed for business in 2012 and had fallen into a state of disrepair.
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