Spirits live inside Whyte Avenue pub: paranormal investigator

This Whyte Ave pub might be haunted The owners of 'The Craft and Cork' believe they've had some unexplained visitors. CTV News Edmonton's Graham Neil checks it out.

EDMONTON — The walls of The Craft and Cork on Whyte Avenue are adorned with memorabilia from horror movies, the pub's owners favourite genre. But memorabilia aside, they say there are actually some real-life scares there, too.

“This is all fun, what's on our walls, but what's behind them and inside them might be the real deal,” says co-owner Geordie Williams.

The staff say they deal with spooky things almost daily.

“There's always something weird going on around here,” says Megan Voelker.

“Mostly what I've heard is people running around upstairs on the floor right above us when there's nobody there,” said Curt Williams, one of the bar's cooks.

Williams thought the sounds could be explained away because the building, which was the former Elephant and Castle pub, was built in 1913.

“There were some extra noises and old creaks that we thought were part of an old building.”

But some things couldn’t be blamed on age.

“I have seen an item in the kitchen fall to the floor. When you're alone it freaks you out a little bit,” the cook told CTV News Edmonton.

So the pub's management brought in paranormal investigator Rona Anderson to see if she could see something they couldn’t. After some ghost hunting with an infrared camera and reflection, she says that staff are definitely not alone at The Craft and Cork.

“There is a main dominant spirit here.”

She says the dominant spirit is female, and others of different ages and sexes roaming the building, including the ghosts of three sailors in the basement.

“They got stuff here. But they don't seem malicious. They're not there to hurt anyone,” says Anderson.

The staff say they’re OK with the added company, who stir up some spirited energy for them.

“It is what it is and I've learned basically to enjoy it,” says Curt Williams.