The Olde Angel Inn
224 Regent Street
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario L0S 1J0
Tel: 1 (905) 468-3411
Website: www.angel-inn.com
According to local Niagara-on-the-Lake tales, Captain Colin Swayze of the British Army was staying at the inn that was to become the Olde Angel during the War of 1812. In late May of 1813, United States forces captured Fort George and the surrounding area. British soldiers retreated, except Captain Swayze. Swayze stopped by the inn to see the innkeeper’s daughter, with whom he’d fallen in love. The American troops were closing in, burning the buildings as they routed out the British forces. Swayze hid in one of the large wooden beer barrels in the basement, but the Americans found him and shot him. Before leaving, they burned the inn to the ground. But Captain Swayze’s story doesn’t end here.
In 1815, John Ross rebuilt the inn and renamed it the Sign of the Angel Inn as a loving gesture to his wife. According to a newspaper clipping quoted by the current owners of the inn, the ghost stories started as early as 1820.
Today the Olde Angel Inn looks a lot like it did almost two centuries ago— hand-cut beams adorn the first-floor ceiling, and plank floors resonate with every step inside. And according to the current owners, some of those resonating footsteps belong to Captain Swayze.
The inn has been in the Ling family since March 1992. According to Samantha Ling, the Olde Angel Inn’s general manager, several guests have reported ghostly occurrences over the years that she admits are too similar to dismiss. Many guests have claimed to see Captain Swayze at eye level while they were in their beds in the inn. Ling said, “They wake up, and he is by their bed—like he’s come up through the floor. So he’s sort of at eye level with them, and his feet are still below the floor. He appears to them, but as soon as they start to sit up, he disappears.”
The staff have also had their share of strange encounters. One night, the bar manager was cleaning up after closing when he heard footsteps in the dining area. He feared someone had just broken in, so he ran into the room to see who it was. No one was there, but curiously, all of the silverware on the tables was scattered.
Today, the British Union Jack flag flies over the inn, but not just because it’s an English pub—the British colors also fly to appease Captain Colin Swayze. Captain Swayze may still hold a grudge over his untimely death to this day. It’s been said that kegs of American beer often malfunction at the bar, while the kegs filled with British and Canadian ales work properly.
