History of the golden lion

Sometimes referred to by its nickname The Whittle, (after the old Whittle Springs Brewery) this is a 300-year-old pub, founded in 1612. Lancaster's Golden Lion pub, is where the condemned were allowed a final drink before being hanged, the spirit of a nun who used to comfort them on their way to the gallows is said to walk the premises still.

One of the most famous trials held at the Castle was that of the Pendle Witches in 1612. In the reign of James I there was a great fear of witches and many women who seemed a little out of the ordinary were rounded up and accused. In Lancashire, a group of women who lived in an area around Pendle Hill were tried, condemned and hanged at Lancaster for practising witchcraft.A plaque on the outside of the pub lists the names of the executed witches.