The Bucket of Blood


The Bucket of Blood is a public house in Phillack, Hayle, Cornwall, owned by St Austell Brewery. It is thought to be named after an incident where the landlord brought up a bucket of blood from the building's well, as a murdered smuggler had been dropped there and the name has been recognised as one of the quirkiest in the country. The building dates from the 18th century, built from rubble with a slater roof. It was designated Grade II listed status on 14 January 1988.

Building

The Bucket of Blood in Hayle, Cornwall is an 18th-century public house, possibly older. The walls are built from rubble, with a slate roof. At each end of the building there is a brick chimney. The building has a 19th-century extension on one side to make an L shaped plan. The interior was remodelled during the 20th century. The public house was designated Grade II listed status on 14 January 1988.

Name

According to local folklore, the Bucket of Blood got its name many years ago when the landlord went to the on-site well to get a bucket of water but found there to be just blood. Further investigation found there was the badly mutilated corpse of a local smuggler at the bottom of the well. An alternative theory is that the well on the grounds would provide red water due to run off from local tin mining The name was recognised as one of the quirkiest in the country in 2011.

Current status

The Bucket of Blood is currently owned by St Austell Brewery's, and the new landlady since March 2020 is Ambia Bariek The previous landlord, Rick Shackelton, ran the public house from when his father died in 1965.