The Globe Inn and its enduring links to Robert Burns

‘Stories are woven into the very fabric of The Globe Inn, and I’m passionate about bringing them to the fore, connecting visitors to its past and inspiring them to explore its enduring links to Robert Burns where the spirit of his immortal memory burns so brightly’. Kathleen Cronie shares, her love of the world-famous Globe Inn, one of the most historic inns in Scotland and the beloved favourite haunt of the Bard

There’s a joy to stepping across the threshold of an old building, considering the folk whose footsteps you follow in, and the welcoming embrace of your surroundings. The feeling I get when entering the historic Globe Inn in Dumfries, which dates all the way back to 1610, is one of cosiness and comfort, the invisible yet tangible gesture of friendly open arms beckoning you inside

Kathleen Cronie in Robert Burns' chair (Image: Douglas Mccallum, Coppertree Photography) The Globe Inn is a vital character from bygone Dumfries, a warming beacon for passing travellers, past and present, and one whose layers are richer for the people who have lived, worked and visited there, none more so than its most famous resident, Robert Burns.

As resident storyteller and tour guide at The Globe Inn, I delight in seeing the reactions of guests as they drink in its unique atmosphere, savouring fascinating tales from a history stretching back over four centuries. This historic building holds its stories near and dear, tales that have the power to transcend the boundaries of time, allowing us to peek into past lives, special places and spaces, and bring them to life once more.

The epic Tam O'Shanter mural (Image: Douglas Mccallum, Coppertree Photography) One of my new tours, Rabbie, Tam and Ghosts of The Globe Inn, features a collection of curious and captivating accounts. Guests are immersed in the tale of Tam O’ Shanter, Burns’ famed supernatural masterpiece, which inspires much of The Globe Inn’s artwork (old and new), from magnificent murals by Jo McSkimming to stunning stained glass panels (made by Carolyn Barlow), and includes a fantastical local legend that he might have drawn inspiration from.

Tour guests can also marvel at poetic verses inscribed by Burns on windowpanes, see personal items including his razorblade and pieces from his bed, and discover stories from his time in Dumfries. And of course, no tour of The Globe Inn would be complete without sitting in the hallowed Bard’s chair! With a mix of excitement and trepidation, visitors relish the opportunity to add their personal story to the long legacy of reciting poetry from Burns’ favourite chair, nestled in the corner of his favourite howff.

'Whare sits our sulky, sullen dame | Gathering her brows like gathering storm | Nursing her wrath to keep it warm' (Image: Douglas Mccallum, Coppertree Photography) For me, Burns’ Bedroom is most heavily redolent of his visits to The Globe Inn, especially when you consider the intimacy he shared with Anna Park, the lover who inspired what he considered to be his most beautiful love song: The Gowden Locks O’ Anna. This atmospheric room was where Burns consummated his relationship with Anna, niece of the landlords Jock and Meg Hyslop.

Past tour guests have described the room’s stranger side, reporting the effects of its ghostly, disorienting echoes. During a recent tour, one woman walked into the bedroom, about turned and walked straight back out again. The atmosphere was intense - almost overwhelming - and she preferred experiencing it from a more comfortable distance. She was convinced of the presence of otherworldly spirits in the room.

Burns' love affair with his landlord's niece inspired one of his most beautiful love songs (Image: Douglas Mccallum, Coppertree Photography) Anna Park is believed to be The Globe Inn’s resident ghost. Visitors and staff describe a woman in white, who appears on the stairs, the landing and outside in the atmospheric close from Dumfries High Street. Moving objects, feelings of a supernatural presence, lights mysteriously switching on and off have all been attributed to Anna’s playful nature.

An incident occurred some years back in the Howff Club room. Former manager and doyenne of The Globe Inn, Jane Brown, recalled: “I always lock the upstairs room, the Howff Club room, and I leave the keys hanging in the door, but they went missing and we searched everywhere… Then, months later, [a member of a film crew] found them at the door, exactly where they would have been if they had fallen out of the lock and the exact place I looked when they first went missing.”

Tam O'Shanter stained glass windows (Image: Douglas Mccallum, Coppertree Photography)

If Anna’s spirit still lingers, she is a benign and occasionally mischievous manifestation, beloved by staff. I’m conscience of Anna, and whenever I lock the bedroom, I acknowledge her. I’d like Anna - and any other ethereal acquaintances - to know what it means to be the proud and compassionate teller of their personal life stories. In Anna’s case, it had a tragic conclusion; a young woman’s life cut short. Anna is thought to have died in childbirth with Robert Burns’ illegitimate daughter Elizabeth on March 31, 1791. Alternative accounts place her in Leith, where she and a soldier became romantically involved with a similar, sad outcome. Whatever the truth, and wherever she rests, Anna’s memory lives on at The Globe Inn, in Burn’s writing and in the descendants of her daughter, who was brought up with kindness and affection by Jean Armour, Robert Burn’s wife and a truly remarkable, selfless and tolerant woman.

There are many exciting events coming up at The Globe Inn, with everything from a Robert the Bruce-themed banquet, as part of the exciting programme commemorating the 750th anniversary of his birth, to tales of local legends and folklore, and a celebration of the life of Jean Armour Burns. A new collaboration, a storytelling walk with Mostly Ghostly, will offer an alternative perspective on Burns from the extraordinary woman who knew him best, with Mary Wood taking on the role of Jean.

Bust of Robert Burns (Image: Douglas Mccallum, Coppertree Photography)

For information and to book Classic Globe Tours and special events including Rabbie, Tam and Ghosts of The Globe Inn, see www.globeinndumfries.co.uk/burns-tour.

For Mostly Ghostly’s new tour celebrating the life of Jean Armour and Robert Burns, see facebook.com/mostlyghostlytours