Daniel Craig buys haunted London pub that’s left locals shaken and stirred

| Entertainment Editor Published October 9, 2026 11:18am Updated October 9, 2026 11:20am Daniel Craig ain’t afraid of no ghost (Picture: Metro/ Getty) James Bond has officially swapped a shaken Martini for a chilly pint as Daniel Craig has only gone and bought a pub. However, the former 007 actor probably didn’t bargain on the central London pub being haunted. Daniel, 58, is now the proud owner of the Horseshoe in Clerkenwell after purchasing the old 18th century boozer with three friends – Soho House founder Nick Jones and restaurateur Charlie Carroll. The actor didn’t realise that it is apparently haunted by the ghost of hangman Gilbert until after the sale went through. ‘I don’t know what he drinks but we might have to leave a pint down there . . . ”Here you are Gilbert”,’ Daniel quipped, referring to the legend that says if you leave a pint of ale down in the basement, it keeps the ghost at bay. The Casino Royale actor is no stranger to pub life having grown up in them throughout his childhood. He’s now the proud co-owner of the Horseshoe pub in Clerkenwell Craig grew up in pubs with his grandparents owning one in Cheshire (Picture: AFP via Getty Images) ‘People used to party quite hard,’ he told The Times. ‘As a kid I’d get to go down and talk to the locals, especially at lunchtime, and it was always about the day, what’s going on. It’s an outlet for people to come and talk about stuff.’ He credits his upbringing in Cheshire pubs for his desire to run his own, describing how he enjoys the ‘performative’ aspect of it all. ‘You mop it down, you get ready and you open the doors and you say, “Showtime!”’ he said. Sounding just like his sleuth Knives Out character, he revealed: ‘I used to love sitting in a pub on my own, pretending to read a book and watching people.’ Daniel and co. are picking up the baton of running the Horseshoe from Pauline Tucker, who was the landlady alongside her husband Richard for 36 years. Latest London news Bond wasn’t exactly partial to pints (Picture: THA/Shutterstock) ‘You don’t see him. You feel him,’ she said of Gilbert the ghost. It seems the new owners won’t be calling an exorcist any time soon, as Daniel has vowed they will keep the Horseshoe ‘as a boozer’ and only ‘spruce it up’ a little, with plans to introduce a dining room upstairs. Daniel isn’t the only celebrity to get their keys to their own public house in recent years, with Sir Ian McKellen the man behind the Grapes in Limehouse, and Ed Sheeran owning the Bertie Blossoms tapas bar in Notting Hill. Celebrity Traitors star James Blunt now runs the Carpenters Arms in Hammersmith and owns the Fox & Pheasant in Chelsea, just behind Stamford Bridge. Deals of the Day My honest review of the new UKLash Lash Lift Gel Kurt Geiger's new Notting Hill collection is a love letter to London's chaotic weather Dyson fans are swapping to this Hoover vacuum-mop that washes floors as it cleans I tried L'Oréal Paris's new PDRN serum and my skin looked glossier after one use This new Cricut gadget turns your favourite photos into stickers in minutes Layer Cake star Daniel now has a bit more time of his hands with his tenure as Bond ending in 2021. Since then, he’s led the Knives Out franchise in his role as detective Benoit Blanc, and has also appeared in the romantic drama Queer. Arrow MORE: Window cleaners rescued from 15th floor of London skyscraper after cradle glitch Arrow MORE: Zack Polanski loses bid to become MP and claim Keir Starmer’s old seat Arrow MORE: Mysterious unlit boat speeds through the River Thames Switched On Get plugged into the week’s must-watch shows, unmissable moments, and expert reviews with Metro TV Editor Sabrina Barr.