The Dolphin Inn, Penzance

The Dolphin Tavern in Penzance, once a base for Sir John Hawkins during the Armada and a smugglers’ haunt, is said to be home to several ghosts. The best known is “George,” an old sea captain in a tricorn hat whose heavy footsteps cross the bar at night. Another spirit, thought to be a young man killed in the cellar in 1873, has also been seen. Guests report indentations appearing on unused beds and chairs, whispers from empty rooms, and the smell of coarse tobacco—perhaps traces of the tavern’s seafaring and smuggling past.