Bate Hall on Chestergate is the oldest pub in Macclesfield, dating to the early 16th century and retaining much of its original character, including oak beams, panelling, a Jacobean staircase, and a priest’s hole. Oliver Cromwell is said to have spent the night here, though this is a claim attached to many old inns.
The pub has a long association with unexplained activity. The most frequently cited figure is a young woman in a long grey dress, though her last confirmed sighting predates living memory and no name or history has been established. Two further figures have been reported separately: a former landlord said to have died on the premises, and an elderly man recalled by members of the Miller family, who once held the licence. Physical disturbances have included doors moving without explanation, and on one occasion cellarman Norman Davies found himself locked inside the kitchen when the pub was closed and he was the only person in the building.
