IT has a spooky secret tunnel and is well known for its ghostly goings-on – but this Hampshire pub has always maintained its role as the friendly community hub.

The Falcon Hotel is virtually impossible to miss when passing through Fawley village centre – and a chat with the regulars will reveal that the building is steeped in history.

Constructed in the 1700s, the pub has one very eerie permanent guest – the first landlord Mr Waterman, who is thought to have died after being run down by a horse and carriage nearby.

Though his black and white portrait is firmly attached to the wall in one of the two bar areas, he is said to make frequent ghostly trips around the building.

But landlady Sally Jackson said the friendly ghost was just part of life in the pub.

“I remember once turning the fruit machine off before going to bed and then coming down the next morning and it was turned back on,” she said.

“Mr Waterman is the talk of the bar and always has been.”

One of the pub’s most fascinating features is its cellar access to a tunnel which, though now walled off a few metres in, is said to stretch all the way to the coast. Smugglers are thought to have once used it to store and transport their goods.

These days the Falcon is a popular haunt for both regulars and contractors working at the nearby refinery. It doubles up as a bed and breakfast and hosts a quiz night every Sunday. It also plays live sport and stages band nights every fortnight.

Sally said: “I’ve been running it for 11 months now.

“I really like being part of the community here – all the locals look after me as well. When the pub was broken in to a while ago, some of them helped me fix the broken windows.”

The Falcon Hotel, The Square, Fawley, Southampton, SO45 1DD.

023 8089 1005