Weirdest Things Hanging in Pubs Worldwide
Walk into most pubs and you’ll find the usual suspects—dartboards, beer signs, maybe a television or two. But venture a little further off the beaten path and you’ll discover watering craters where the décor goes beyond quirky straight into the realm of wonderfully bizarre. From mummified creatures to underwear collections, these establishments prove that when it comes to pub decoration, there are no rules. Here’s a list of 10 of the strangest things you’ll find suspended, mounted, or dangling in pubs across the globe.
Dollar Bills
At a former officers’ mess pub in London, an old military tradition invites customers to pin signed dollar bills to the ceiling plasterwork. The bills are supposedly for a grenadier named Cedric who was beaten to death for cheating at cards.
His spirit allegedly haunts the place every September. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, looking up at hundreds of currency notes creates an oddly mesmerizing canopy that tells countless stories of past patrons.
Underwear Collections
The Daly Waters Pub in Australia’s Northern Territory has been accumulating bras since the 1980s, when a bet between a coach driver and female passengers started the tradition. Three decades later, the ceiling and walls are plastered with undergarments from female visitors who’ve left their mark in the most unexpected way—it’s become such a signature feature that travelers specifically seek out the pub to add to the collection, which must make for interesting travel journal entries and even more interesting conversations with airport security if you’re packing a donation.
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Pop Culture Figures
One London pub features a Simpsons Spiderpig crawling along the ceiling, Gizmo from Gremlins overseeing the lager taps, and Snoopy, Mario, and Cartman all stationed around the bar. The back room resembles a nursery.
Giant flowers climbing the walls, grinning snails alongside Teletubbies. It’s like drinking inside a toy box designed by someone with wonderfully chaotic taste and possibly an attic full of action figures they couldn’t bear to part with.
Pots and Pans
The Churchill Arms in London suspends pots, pans, porcelain commodes, sporting gear, lamps, royal memorabilia, and bunting from every available surface. The sheer volume of dangling objects creates what locals describe as several ‘giga-Steptoes’—a unit of clutter so dense you can barely see the actual building structure.
Walking through feels like navigating a very British obstacle course where one wrong move might send a commemorative teapot crashing onto your head.
Live Crocodiles
The Larrimah Pink Panther Hotel in Australia’s Northern Territory keeps a 3.5-meter crocodile named Sam in his own pen and pond on the property. While Sam technically lives outside rather than hanging from rafters, he’s definitely part of the pub experience.
The owner inherited him from the previous publican who bought him from a pet shop, and Sam now feasts on chicken frames and roadkill while entertaining curious visitors. Not your typical pub mascot, but this is Australia we’re talking about.
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Cannonballs
Sean’s Bar in Athlone, Ireland—listed in the Guinness Book of Records as one of Ireland’s oldest pubs—features cannonball decorations alongside sawdust floors and an open turf fire. The pub hasn’t changed for centuries, and those heavy iron spheres serve as reminders of Ireland’s turbulent history.
They’re conversation pieces that weigh several pounds each and make you wonder how they’re actually secured up there without eventually plummeting onto someone’s shepherd’s pie.
Sherlock Holmes Props
Upstairs at one London pub sits a life-size recreation of Sherlock Holmes’s study rescued from the 1951 Festival of Britain, complete with numerous props from the detective stories and a dummy of Holmes himself. Fans spend hours identifying references while non-fans just appreciate the craftsmanship.
The mannequin reportedly bears an uncanny resemblance to an emaciated Vladimir Putin, which adds its own peculiar charm to an already peculiar setup.
Military Uniforms and Keepsakes
Former officers’ mess pubs display old military uniforms and regimental memorabilia hanging from walls and draped over fixtures. These aren’t costume shop replicas—they’re genuine pieces of military history complete with medals, insignia, and decades of stories sewn into the fabric.
Carrying the weight of history that literally hangs in the air around you while you sip your ale and contemplate what those uniforms have witnessed over the years.
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Taxidermy Collections
Multiple London pubs feature taxidermy decorations as part of their Wiccan or vintage themes, with preserved animals positioned throughout the drinking areas. These aren’t the friendly mounted deer heads you might expect.
Think more exotic and unsettling creatures frozen mid-movement. Some establishments go full cabinet-of-curiosities with their collections, making you feel like you’ve stumbled into a Victorian naturalist’s study where everything is slightly off-kilter and definitely watching you.
Hobbit-Themed Fantasy Items
The Prancing Pony pub in Ireland takes visitors through hobbit-friendly dropped ceilings and arched doors, with themed decorations throughout celebrating Middle-earth. Patrons can order Gandalf’s ale, Bilbo’s beer, and hobbit juice cocktails while surrounded by fantasy-inspired hangings and props.
It’s like drinking inside Tolkien’s imagination, minus the actual Ring of Power but with better bathroom facilities than anything you’d find in the Shire.
Where History Meets Hospitality
These peculiar decorations transform ordinary drinking establishments into destinations worth traveling for. What started as practical traditions—like publicans also serving as undertakers who stored items in their cellars—evolved into deliberate quirkiness that defines entire pub identities.
Today’s weirdest pub hangings represent more than just unusual décor choices. They’re preservation of local legends, celebration of eccentricity, and proof that the best watering craters refuse to take themselves too seriously. Next time you raise a glass, look up. You might be surprised by what’s watching you drink.
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