Perhaps one of the most famous associations with The Bull Inn was that of the Amsterdam, the Dutch East Indiaman bound for Batavia, that ran aground in 1748. During the days that followed this incident the Bull Inn almost certainly played host to the investigators of the wreck and to those charged with protecting its valuable cargoes.
Also it is said that in the eastern part of the old pub, John Keats sat and did his writing while looking out to sea. Part of the pub was used as a court house and in the basement under the bar were the cells where condemned prisoners were held before hanging at Gallows Hill, which is now called Gally Hill.