The historic pub has been a regular in Derby city centre for hundreds of years(Image: Derby Telegraph)

I went to the Derby city centre pub where a skull was found and Guinness is £4.50

by · Derbyshire Live

Derby is home to countless grisly tales, from ghostly doctors beneath Ye Olde Dolphin, to whatever curse is preventing Premier League football at Pride Park...and allowing F*rest a run in Europe.

But one pub, which is the penultimate stop on my quest to review each pub in Derby city centre, seems to have the bragging rights when it comes to true terror within.

Back in 1994, a female human skull was found among animal bones beneath the cellar of Jorrocks, formerly known as Laferty's and The George, and has become a popular destination for ghost hunters across the UK.

The Iron Gate pub was built in the 1690s, a time when it was still customary to bury a human skull with a pair of shoes and a dead cat to ward off evil spirits.

There are also tales of a man walking along the landing in the middle of the night, but at the time of my visit, the only ghouls punters were trying to keep at bay were the bookies.

It was Gold Cup day at Cheltenham, and Jorrocks was offering cheap pints, bottles and shots to celebrate the occasion.

Unfortunately, the pub is only open on a Friday from 4pm, when it begins normal service for the rest of the weekend, so it came as a surprise to see Jorrocks filled to the brim with racing lovers when I stepped inside as the clock struck the 16th hour.

They looked as if they'd been there all day, and a non-gambler like myself couldn't really believe what I was seeing. It was the hottest place in town.

While I call myself a non-gambler, I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that my finger "slipped" and "accidentally" placed a few quid on a horse, a horse that I spent a long 60 seconds researching.

While I let that poor decision brew, I went to the bar and noticed a fairly decent selection, including your usual popular beers and a couple of casks.

We've nearly finished this pub review series, so you'll not be too surprised to hear I panicked among the busy crowds, pointed at the Guinness and called it a day.

I promise to serve the beer lovers out there a bit better during the next review series, but with St Patrick's Day around the corner and horses on the telly, I very much had a thirst for the black stuff.

The two ales on the go were new to me, and the pub's sole front window made it quite tricky to see exactly what it was - but no doubt they'll have changed by the time you visit anyway.

The Guinness was pretty good and came in one of the wider, thicker glasses, which I always prefer to the thinner glasses with those posh grooves on the side.

And at £4.50 - a considerable amount less than the £6 pint at Seymour's Bar last week - they may as well be handing them out.

Jorrocks itself is a strange pub, another that I can't really put my finger on.

It benefits from mood lighting and is quite a dark pub, but bright TV screens on every surface, as well as some fairly fancy floral green wallpaper, find a balance between a traditional boozer and a cosy drinking spot.

There were also classy wooden floors and those old cast-iron pub tables, and a DJ booth at the back, but we'll get to that shortly.

The customers were very much as you'd expect for the Cheltenham crowd, a blend of city boys sporting their finest desert boots, and your regular football fans dressed in whatever the hell they want.

When the race finished, people took a dive for the exits. Some had a quick smoke, either in celebration or to console the loss, while another group of around six rushed to the Betfred across the road.

"Where are you going?" one said. "To get my winnings," his friend replied.

It all seemed business as usual, and a fine example of what a pub should look like on a Friday afternoon.

But once night falls, the regulars fade away and are replaced by the weekend crew.

I'd have had no idea that Jorrocks is as popular as it is, had I not been dragged there on a night out a few months ago.

It was late, and my memory struggles to recall much of what happened, but I remember we all decided to go to Jorrocks as they had karaoke on - and the prospect of raising the roof with my rendition of Elvis's Suspicious Minds meant I didn't take much convincing.

But rather than a fairly quiet venue, instead we were met with an incredibly busy Jorrocks, one that seemed to be a bit more hassle than it was worth.

So we left, and that was all I really knew about Jorrocks until my Gold Cup visit.

So there was no paranormal activity, but I think Jorrocks slightly surpassed my expectations.

I wasn't expecting the best pub in the world, and calling it that would be a long shot, but they seem to be doing things right at Jorrocks - and its deep-rooted history within the city shouldn't be overlooked.

Hopefully, I'll be back again, and if I ever do become a horse racing fanatic, I know where I'll find myself one Friday every March.

Jorrocks was the 20th stop on my quest to review every pub in Derby city centre, following the likes of the Iron Ram, the Exeter Arms, the Smithfield and the Old Silk Mill.

Previous visits on my quest to review every pub in the city centre

Check out the gallery below for a look inside Jorrocks

Everyone's eyes were glued to the screens(Image: Derby Telegraph)
The pub was packed at 4pm on a Friday(Image: Derby Telegraph)
A splendid pint of Guinness, and what better time for it than Cheltenham?(Image: Derby Telegraph)
Winston watched on as the crowd cheered the horses(Image: Derby Telegraph)