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Bucks County Tribune · 196 West Ashland Street, Doylestown, PA 18901

200,000 views: Pint shatters on its own in Hertfordshire pub

CCTV captures a Guinness glass exploding at the Farmer's Boy, leading the owner to attribute the incident to a 19th-century ghost.

By Charles Reed ·

Illustration for: 200,000 views: Pint shatters on its own in Hertfordshire pub
Illustration generated for this article, not a news photograph.

A pint of Guinness shattered on a bar top in Brickendon, Hertfordshire, on July 20 without anyone touching it. The incident is now drawing attention online after the local pub owner shared the security footage. The clip has accumulated more than 200,000 views on social media platforms.

The video shows a half-drunk pint sitting unattended on the bar at the Farmer's Boy. Suddenly, the glass bursts, sending shards of glass and dark stout across the surface. No customer or staff member is visible near the glass at the moment of impact. The pub is a historic establishment dating back to the 1800s.

Landlady Rachel Drury, who has owned the pub for two and a half years, disputes the idea that the glass broke due to thermal shock. She noted that the customer was a regular who strictly preferred cold drinks. If the glass had been warm from cleaning, she said, he would have refused the pint. The customer, who left the bar to use the restroom, agreed that the glass was in perfect condition before it collapsed.

Drury believes the ghost of a former 19th-century landlady is responsible for the event. She describes the spirit as friendly and harmless. Psychics who have visited the location identified two kind spirits, believed to be a woman and a child, lingering in the building. Drury said the presence usually feels warm rather than cold or frightening.

Staff members have reported seeing a figure standing in the room during closing hours. Some patrons have also described sensations of being brushed past or feeling a leg touch. Drury shared a personal experience where she felt a hand pat her back in bed late at night while stressed. She got up to check, but no one was in the room.

The online reaction to the footage has been mixed. Some viewers suggested the glass broke because it was cleaned with hot water and not cooled before pouring. Others joked about Irish ghosts or suggested the vicar bless the premises to stop the waste of drink. The comments section remains active with theories about the spontaneous breakage.

Drury continues to manage the pub and lives in the apartment above it. She said she has never felt unsafe despite the reported occurrences. The former landlady remains a topic of conversation among the staff and regulars who frequent the historic venue.

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