A Return to The Trooper Inn, Froxfield
- Dr Iain M Lightfoot
- Nov 10
- 5 min read
Updated: Nov 11
High on the Hampshire Downs, The Trooper Inn, sitting somewhat majestically in its country location has the guise of a charming country pub, a place of refreshment, food and good company, and night-time rest. Yet this pub and hotel is something much more. It represents true survival. For more than four centuries, this building has stood it's watch over travellers and locals alike, weathering the ravages of fire, war, and the inevitable passage of time.
Originally built in the early 1600s, the inn has served as a vital coaching stop, journey's paused between London, Petersfield, Winchester, and Southampton. Horses were watered, soldiers rested, and weary travellers found warmth by the fire. The building's structure was rebuilt after a major fire, but its essence remains fully intact. Renovations, or more so a rescue mission, in the 1990s added modern comforts, yet even now, beneath the crisp décor, the past whispers from its beams and floors and even the occasional smell of smoke can be noticed.
Once known as The Jolly Trooper, the pub’s name alone hints at its military connections. Local history suggests that during the First World War, The Trooper Inn acted as a mustering point for recruitment, where young men signed their names before marching away to an uncertain fate. Knowing what we know about the Great War, it’s easy to make an assumption that a number of those who left never returned home, but perhaps, just possibly, in a way, some perhaps did return, just differently.
Folklore and Haunting of The Trooper Inn
Known locally as “the pub at the top of the hill”, The Trooper has long balanced its reputation for fine food and hospitality with a far more spectral identity. It was once nicknamed “the pub with the candles”, after unreliable electricity forced staff to rely on flickering light from wax and wick! An image that fits its ghostly reputation somewhat perfectly.
Locals have long spoken of a soldier in khaki, sometimes seen on horseback in the fields opposite the inn, and other times wandering on foot near the stables or in the bar. Some call him a “friendly ghost,” whilst other locals speak of shadowy movement in the upstairs rooms, footsteps, and guests being woken in the night. The building’s isolation, sitting proudly on almost the highest point in Hampshire, lends itself to such a tale, but it is what really happens inside that truly gives The Trooper its haunted reputation.
Arrival and Atmosphere
When we arrived for the return investigation, there was a distinct change in the air, in fact the energy was changing continuously through the evening. The spirits previously had been seen to have kept to the far bar area and kitchen, now they seemed to be watching us from the other side and not so adamant on their being so distant.
To re-establish the atmosphere and invite any residual energy to join us, we began with First World War music which was a deliberate trigger to draw out the soldier said to have enlisted within those very walls. Almost immediately, the effect was felt. Barry absorbed a surge of energy so strong it left him visibly shaken. It was as if the music had momentarily bridged the gap between past and present, pulling something forward from the echoes of history.
The Dowsing Session
With the energy swirling, we began a dowsing session. The rods responded clearly straight away, direct, and then strong steady movements confirming what we’d long suspected. The spirit before us was indeed a soldier, one who signed up for the Great War right there in that very room.
Through yes/no questioning, we learned that he wasn’t plied with drink to encourage enlistment, nor was he underage or elderly, therefore a man in his prime, full of purpose and yes, perhaps a little 'Dutch Courage' from the bar. Yet before we could learn more, the connection faded abruptly. The air that moments earlier had thrummed with presence now fell still, heavy, and silent. This is exactly what happened on our last outing here, it was the energy that just waned and vanished
It was as if the soldier had only come to acknowledge us, then slipped quietly back into the beyond.
Lingering Activity
We remained in place for a little while longer, hopeful for another sign or to see the sprite, fairy-like creature that we saw last time, but this wasn't to be. A few orbs drifted across the room, spherical and with purposeful movements rather than random dust. There were also occasional bangs, and at one point, two of us noticed the mirror shift slightly, just enough to make us question what unseen hand might have touched it.
But overall, the activity felt subdued, and reflective, like a room remembering rather than open to performing.
Upstairs Vigil
Our next stop was the upstairs corridor and the room where a child’s voice had been captured on our previous investigation. The air was cool, the silence thick. Almost immediately, we heard footsteps in the hallway outside, steady and deliberate, followed by knocks and bangs that seemed to answer each other from different parts of the building. Barry went outside to be in the movements.
We paused often, calling out softly, but no physical explanation could be found. The footsteps came and went as though an invisible presence was pacing, keeping watch, perhaps the same maternal energy or child spirit we had once encountered.
The Lady’s Voice
After an extended vigil in the bedroom, we returned to the bar to regroup. It was just before entering that there was a clear and compelling voice... Barry suddenly heard a woman’s voice, faint but distinct and Chris, the landlord, reacted at the same instant, convinced someone had entered through the main door, Chris wondered and said aloud "had he left it unlocked?"
We checked immediately, but no one was there. The doorway and bar was empty, the night still but for the rain outside. The incident left all of us momentarily confused; when two people hear the same thing simultaneously, it is hard to dismiss as imagination. Although I hadn't heard it, I could see the reaction of Barry and Chris, searching to see who was there in the bar, not the actions of people trying unsure, they HAD heard that voice.
Closing Moments
In order to attempt to lift the atmosphere once more, we placed cat balls on the tables and lightened the tone with our laughter, jokes, and open invitation to any spirit who wished to join in. We hoped to recreate the playful energy that often encourages manifestations as it did last time here.
While the night never reached the intensity of our first visit, there were still unexplained bangs, the mirror moving again [a second time seen by myself], and that familiar, watchful presence that The Trooper seems to hold onto.
This second investigation reinforced what we already knew, that The Trooper Inn remains active, though its energy shifts with time, intent, and the willingness of its spirits to communicate.
The soldier’s fleeting presence, the faint lady’s voice, and the footsteps above all point to a layered haunting: one rooted in memory, emotion, and history. It feels as though these spirits respond to recognition. Drawn perhaps, by the same curiosity that keeps us returning.
The Trooper Inn once again proved that the line between the living and the dead is not a wall but a doorway and on some nights, when the music plays, that door opens just enough to remind us they’re still here.
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