Reports of unexplained footsteps, a necklace being pulled and even a floating orb touching a guest's head means a paranormal investigation of a pub in Cranham continues next month.

The Royal William on Cheltenham Road is hosting in March another of its haunted dinners, where attendees eat a curry then hunt for ghosts in the pub until 1am.

On previous outings guests have reportedly heard heeled footsteps in other rooms, felt their jewellery being pulled and even been hit on the head by an "intelligent anomaly."

The pub has not always been known as the Royal William - in 1974 Whitbread published a book called 'Inn and around’, a guide to 250 favourite Whitbread pubs.

At that time the Royal William was a ‘Trophy Tavern’. The Royal William Hotel was described on page 146: “Two hundred years ago you would have been considered very suspect if you were a regular at the Royal William. A plaque hanging in the pub records that it was frequented by "charcoal burners, gypsies, freebooters, smugglers and others of doubtful calling”.

At that time the was known as The Pound of Candles, but its name was changed to The Henry VIIIth as a tribute to the King visiting the area with Ann Boleyn while there was an epidemic in London in 1535.

He is believed to have visited Prinknash Abbey in July and hunted in The Pope’s wood which is part of the wooded area next to the pub.

The Inn managed to survive the Civil War from 1642-8 with Prince Rupert who was Commander in Chief to King Charles lodged at Prinknash with the Bridgman family.

In 1830 to celebrate the accession of William IV the pub was renamed as the Royal William after the King took a personal interest in the Beer Act of 1830 which abolished the beer tax and extended the opening times of licensed public houses.

Thomas Sadler became the owner in 1821 when his mother Mary Nee Gastrell surrendered her copy hold. 27 years later the Inn was acquired by his nephew William Sadler Hall who also came to own seven other public houses in Gloucestershire, all the pubs were supplied with beer from his own brewery.

The pub's next haunted dinner is on Friday, March 15, with tickets costing £20 per person which includes a curry dinner.

Call 01452813650 or pop into the pub to secure your place.