The cellars are reputed to be haunted by a serving maid who fell down the cellar stairs whilst refusing the advances of the hotel's landlord, sometime in the 18th century. The ghost of the notorious gambler, Lord Rupert de Lansigny, can be heard pacing the floor of Room 28 and is occasionally glimpsed leaning over the sleeping occupants of the room. He gambled his way through his inheritance of £10,000, finally losing the family estate on one fateful night at the Hop Bag. He retired to his room and shot himself; sounds of drunken revelry issuing from Room 20 are also associated with this incident. The faint smell of fresh hay has been known to waft about in the five rooms in the converted stables. One night an occupant in Room 32 awoke to see a horse and groom pass right through the wall of their room!
They were built in the 1860's on the site of a medieval row of almshouses and the old building forms the foundations of the shops. The medieval stonework can still be seen in the basements. The shop frontage incoporates a large amount of ornate wrought iron work and the stained glass, diamond-paned windows show the influence of the Oxford Movement. There are large glass and wrought iron sun blinds overhanging the shop fronts, which is particularly worthy of note. Inside the shops don't seem to have changed much since the early 20th century; the sweet shop has shelves stacked hagh with glass jars and the book shop has creeking, ceiling-high shelves filled with dusty old books. The Chemist's has old glass vials and bell jars displayed in the window.
All three shops have well worn wooden front desks, complete with peeling black paint. None can fit more than about half a dozen people in at a time. The back door opens into the new Quayside development.