Tucked into the shadow of St Giles’ Cathedral, on what we now call Parliament Square, John’s Coffee House once buzzed with the energy of Edinburgh’s legal and intellectual elite. But behind the cobblestones and grand facades lies a history thick with intrigue, secrets, and, some say, restless spirits. Tonight, we’re stepping back to 1688, into the smoky, crowded rooms where lawyers, merchants, and thinkers gathered over coffee, wine, and brandy—and where whispers of political plotting, deals, and even darker events might still echo. For anyone searching for haunted sites in Edinburgh or paranormal activity near the Royal Mile, John’s Coffee House is a story you won’t want to miss.

This wasn’t just a coffee house—it was a stage for ambition, rivalry, and sometimes disaster. From secretive meetings of creditors to fiery debates over the 1707 Act of Union, the people who passed through John’s were shaping the city’s—and the nation’s—future. But along with the great minds came the human flaws: heavy drinking, brawls, and a few shadowy incidents that were quietly recorded in gossip and legal notes.

In this episode of the True Hauntings podcast we’re digging into every layer of John’s story: the daily “meridian” brandy rituals of the lawyers, the infamous “Cauld Cock and Feather” drink, the political plotting and late-night arguments, and the sudden destruction of the Great Fire of 1824 that buried the building—and possibly disturbed graves beneath its floors.

And we’ll explore the eerie aftermath: the Police Chambers that rose on the same site, ghostly encounters reported during renovations, and the modern revival of John’s Coffee House that leans into its dark past.

If you’ve ever wanted a tale where history, hauntings, and human folly collide—this is it.

Check out this short instagram video about the Lost Close under John's Coffee shop - https://www.instagram.com/reel/DL2s0K2Sm5J/

Send us a Christmas card or postcard to:

Anne and Renata

P.O.Box 2289

Dangar 2309

NSW Australia

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to True Hauntings for more terrifying tales, chilling investigations, and the odd bit of ghost-hunting mischief.

💀 Support us: Buy us a coffee

🎭 Join the madness: Become a Patreon Ghostie

📺 Watch the misadventures: YouTube: Frightfully Good

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We pass on our HUGE THANK YOU for listening and following.

We could not do this without you.

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There are some places in the world that seem to be built for ghosts. Heavy walls, dark corridors, shadows that linger even when the lights are switched on. They seem to soak up misery and dread, and long after the people are gone, the walls still whisper. Melbourne has one of those places, right in the centre of the city.

The Old Melbourne Gaol. Today, it’s a museum. Tourists wander through its three-storey cell block, peer into the tiny cells, and read about bushrangers, poisoners, and men wrongly hanged. But back in the 1800s and early 1900s, this place was a factory of punishment and death. And if ghosts really do linger where life was most cruel and unjust, then the Old Melbourne Gaol has more reason than most to be haunted.

In this episode of the True Hauntings Podcast we will take a walk through one of the most haunted places in Australia. We delve into the dark heart of Old Melbourne Gaol, where cold bluestone walls once echoed with the final footsteps of the condemned, where skulls were stolen, death masks were cast, and where whispers still drift through the cells long after the last prisoner was led to the gallows. Was it cruelty, injustice, or sheer tragedy that left its mark on this place?

Let's find out.

Send us a Christmas card or postcard to:

Anne and Renata

P.O.Box 2289

Dangar 2309

NSW Australia

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to True Hauntings for more terrifying tales, chilling investigations, and the odd bit of ghost-hunting mischief.

💀 Support us: Buy us a coffee

🎭 Join the madness: Become a Patreon Ghostie

📺 Watch the misadventures: YouTube: Frightfully Good

Also Follow Anne and Renata:

Facebook: @AnneAndRenata

Instagram: @AnneAndRenata

YouTube: @AnneAndRenata

TikTok: @AnneAndRenata

We pass on our HUGE THANK YOU for listening and following.

We could not do this without you.

#anneandrenata #ghosts #hauntings #paranormalpodcast #frightfullygood #FrightfullyGood #HauntedHolidays #diaryofaghosthunter #poltergeist #ghostbusters #Poltergeist #PoltergeistActivity #ParanormalPodcast #TrueGhostStories #CreepyEncounters #HauntedPlaces #GhostHunter #SpiritActivity #SupernaturalStories #UrbanLegends #HauntedHistory #OccultPodcast #demons #poltergeist #TrueHauntingsPodcast #oldmelbournegaol #melbournensw #melbournehauntings #melbournevictoria #mosthauntedmelbourne #hauntedaustralia #ghostsofmelbournegaol

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The Mansfield Reformatory in Ohio wasn’t meant to be just another prison. It was built like a castle, a grand gothic structure that looked more like a church than a jail.

The big idea was to reform young men — give them a trade, some moral guidance, and send them back into the world as better citizens.

But, what started as a shining vision of redemption turned into something very different. Overcrowding, brutality, desperate suicides and cruel punishments twisted the dream into a nightmare. Behind those walls, men lost their minds, their lives, and some say, their souls.

From tragic deaths and dark legends to the ghostly echoes that still linger in the cell blocks, Mansfield is now known as one of the most haunted places in America.

Join us on this episode of the True Hauntings Podcast as we take you inside the castle that promised salvation but delivered only suffering.

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to True Hauntings for more terrifying tales, chilling investigations, and the odd bit of ghost-hunting mischief.

💀 Support us: Buy us a coffee

🎭 Join the madness: Become a Patreon Ghostie

📺 Watch the misadventures: YouTube: Frightfully Good

Also Follow Anne and Renata:

Facebook: @AnneAndRenata

Instagram: @AnneAndRenata

YouTube: @AnneAndRenata

TikTok: @AnneAndRenata

We pass on our HUGE THANK YOU for listening and following.

We could not do this without you.

#anneandrenata #ghosts #hauntings #paranormalpodcast #frightfullygood #FrightfullyGood #HauntedHolidays #diaryofaghosthunter #poltergeist #ghostbusters #Poltergeist #PoltergeistActivity #ParanormalPodcast #TrueGhostStories #CreepyEncounters #HauntedPlaces #GhostHunter #SpiritActivity #SupernaturalStories #UrbanLegends #HauntedHistory #OccultPodcast #demons #poltergeist #TrueHauntingsPodcast #HauntedHillHouse #HauntedHouses #MostHauntedJailin USA #HauntedUSA #hauntingsinUSA #paranormalstories #Hauntedandhistoric #MansfieldReformatory #MansfieldOhio #MansfieldReformatoryOHIO #hauntedMansfieldReformatory #TruehauntinginUSA #HauntedUSA #TheShawshankRedemption

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