The Court Oak, Harborne

The Court Oak built in 1932 has a reputation of being haunted. The following Mirror article entitled ‘Wine snob ghost ‘haunting Birmingham pub smashes house wine bottles’ dates from 30 October 2011.

A “wine snob” ghost is lurking in the cellar of a pub making its feelings known about the house wine, it has been claimed.

The ghost, named Corky by regulars at the Court Oak pub in Harborne, Birmingham, apparently has very strong opinions about the wine list.

The pub, part of the Sizzling chain, is built on the site of a 17th century hanging ground, sparking speculation that Corky may be the ghost of someone who died there years ago.

Pub manager Anne Tyler said the ghost had given its opinion about the wine on offer every Halloween for the last few years.

She said smashed bottles of red and white house wine were discovered in the cellar until the selection was upgraded.

Nuala Gallagher, of Sizzling Pubs, said: “It isn’t so much things that go bump in the night as things going smash in the night at the Court Oak.

“People have spotted the figure of a man, aged about 60, behind the bar and the staff have felt his presence numerous times over the years.

“But it is Corky’s insistence on certain wines that set him apart as a spirit.

“It only ever happens at this time of year when Halloween is in sight. If the pub has a house wine that is not to his liking, he makes his feelings known by smashing bottle after bottle of it in the cellar until it is changed for a wine he approves of.

“He’s a bit of a wine snob, which is why he’s been named Corky by customers.”