The Nutshell - Britain's Spookiest Pub?

With a bar that measures just 15ft by 7ft, The Nutshell proudly holds the title of smallest pub in Britain as confirmed in the Guinness Book of Records.

Now a major tourist attraction for local and worldwide visitors and on the town's Ale Trail, The Nutshell has some interesting historical items, photos and memorabilia so there is much to view and talk about while you enjoy a drink.

Located in The Traverse in historic Bury St Edmunds, The Nutshell has been proud to serve customers jostling for a place at the bar since it first started serving beer as a beerhouse in 1873.

These tiny premises had been a newspaper sellers for some years, next door to John Stebbings fruit and vegetable business. The family took over the newsagents, and the son, John Henry Stebbing ran it as The Nutshell.

In the next ten years John Henry filled it with his own cork models of the Abbey, the Norman Tower, and the Abbey Ruins, and other notables like Nelson's Column and Trafalgar Square. In addition he displayed all manner of "antiquities" and curiosities. The Nutshell survives today with a much reduced number of curiosities.

The question is - how many people can you get into the Nutshell? The answer is 102 plus a dog called 'Blob', all of whom set a new record on 10 March 1984, beating the previous record by one.

Accused Witches were taken to a building where The Nutshell pub is today and had their nails cut or locks of hair.

The nails and hair were stored in brown jars in the basement as it was thought that if you were not whole when you died, you wouldn’t be able to come back as a whole witch in the next life!

In 1975, the landlord returned downstairs from the room above the bar, telling patrons he had just seen a small boy sitting by himself and then disappear. And, in fact, it is thought a boy did die here in suspicious circumstances – some say by drowning in a bathtub.

Locals of the Nutshell also claim to have experienced poltergeist activity in the pub, with many blaming glasses shattered and batteries drained on the young ghost. Others, however, point the finger at a mummified cat, which hangs over the bar.

Mummified cats, like the one you can see hanging above the bar in The Nutshell found during building work in 1935, were buried in the walls and roof cavities of houses during this time to ward off witches and evil spirits and if you find one, it’s meant to be bad luck to remove it.

This cat, affectionately known as 'Fluffy' by locals, is said to be cursed, bringing misfortune to anyone who touches it.