Food and Drink.
A horror themed cafe? An undercroft eatery? What about a Jail Cell restaurant? If any of these appeal to you then keep checking back here to find accessible reviews of places to eat with a Dark Tourism twist...
The Haunch of Venison pub was established around 1320. Originally the building was used as a base for the craftsman who were working on the nearby Cathedral spire. Since then it's had more than a little excitement... Churchill and Eisenhower supposedly sat in the 'horsebox' (the ladies snug) whilst planning the D-day landings, it is one of the most haunted pubs in Britain with a Grey Lady noticeable by her lavender scent and a man in a brown shirt who watches the staff and guests sleep, and the ghost of a demented whist player who has his arms folded to conceal a missing hand - a hand that is mummified and on display in an old bread oven! The hand was lopped off the man some time in the 18th century by a butcher when he was found to be cheating. The hand is so legendary it has been stolen several times which is why it now lives locked up inside a bread oven.
They sell bar snacks downstairs, we enjoyed some cheesy chips and drinks. To enjoy the food in the restaurant means several steps up to the first floor.
Accessibility:
The pub itself has level access to the street. The bar is very small with 4 lots of seating, however, there was a fair amount of space when we were there to manoeuvre around (see the second picture). We were there on a Monday at around midday for a guide. There are no toilets on the lower level. The ladies toilets are up 5 steps with a hand rail. It's up these same steps you have to go to see the hand. In the second picture you can see a window on the left hand side, that window is in the room with the hand in it. Bob was able to get up there with his walking stick. That room is pretty snug but there is plenty of seating to have a rest before going back down.There is parking outside of the pub, we found parking just around the corner, no more than 50m away. The ground outside is made up of smooth stone slabs. Inside are some wonderful marble tiles (which came from the choristers section of the Cathedral when heating was added in the 18th century) and wooden flooring.
