Kent Ghosts, Folklore and Forteana
Lantern Man
Location: Saltwood - Road to Sanding, near Slaybrook Farm.
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: A fireball that morphs into a man carrying a lantern is supposed to haunt this stretch of road, disappearing near the railway bridge. There is also at least one sighting of a grey woman being seen, though only the upper part of her body had materialised.
First added: 2002-06-16 | Last updated: 2002-06-16 | ID #1258
Headless Bird Man
Location: Saltwood - Sandling Park
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: November 1963
Further Comments: A group of teenagers ran from a creature that emerged from behind a tree and approached them. It was described as man shaped but headless, completely black, had webbed feet, and a pair of large bat wings. Prior to this, they had watched a mysterious light flickering about the sky.
First added: 2002-06-19 | Last updated: 2002-06-19 | ID #1308
Roman Soldier
Location: Saltwood - Slaybrook Corner
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Rumoured to be the site of a long forgotten battle, the misty form seen on occasion resembles a Roman centurion.
First added: 2002-06-19 | Last updated: 2002-06-19 | ID #1306
Charlie
Location: Sarre - King's Head Inn (closed 2012)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1964 - 1965
Further Comments: Described as a bald short man (although not seen that often), the phantom nicknamed 'Charlie' would pull the bedclothes from beds in the early hours of the morning, tap people on their shoulder, and create footsteps in empty parts of the building.
First added: 2024-05-06 | Last updated: 2024-05-06 | ID #15351
Woman
Location: Sevenoaks - Chequers public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This inn is home to a female phantom who watched her son's execution from an upstairs window. Her wails are said to be occasionally heard.
First added: 2008-10-05 | Last updated: 2008-10-05 | ID #9007
Old Lady
Location: Sevenoaks - Maidstone Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 14 June (reoccurring)
Further Comments: Killed in a road traffic accident in 1959, this ghostly figure now steps out in front of traffic on the anniversary of her death.
First added: 2002-07-23 | Last updated: 2002-07-23 | ID #1976
Stretch of Road
Location: Sevenoaks - Sevenoaks bypass
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: March 1979
Further Comments: A witness reported that the road she was driving on faded from view, and a ghostly one appeared to her right - potentially leading to a head-on crash with other vehicles. It is thought this phenomenon has been responsible for several fatal accidents along this road.
First added: 2002-07-23 | Last updated: 2002-07-23 | ID #1977
The Deaf Adder
Location: Sevenoaks - Woodland in the area
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: Nineteenth century
Further Comments: This terminator-like serpent was said to be completely deaf, but if the snake spotted anyone, it would pursue its victim, never giving up the chase until it had bitten its prey. The bite was always fatal.
First added: 2012-10-20 | Last updated: 2012-10-20 | ID #11143
Black Object
Location: Sheerness - Skies over town
Type: UFO
Date / Time: 12 October 1912
Further Comments: A large dark object was seen passing over the town, buzzing loudly.
First added: 2002-07-18 | Last updated: 2002-07-18 | ID #1832
Sir Henry Vane
Location: Shipbourne - All over the village
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Executed in London after being found guilty of high treason, Vane was placed in a stone coffin in Shipbourne church - his tomb is said to be shorter than the others, reflecting the fact he had his head chopped off. His unhappy ghost walks around the village.
First added: 2008-01-09 | Last updated: 2008-01-09 | ID #8159
Crying Man
Location: Shoreham - Crown Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Appearing outside the inn, this phantom man died of a broken heart. He was married to the landlord's daughter but was press ganged and sent to sea. By the time he returned, his wife had died.
First added: 2008-10-05 | Last updated: 2008-10-05 | ID #9009
Man with Brown Dog
Location: Shorne - Shorne Lodge
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The ghost of an old man, accompanied by a small brown dog, has been seen in one of the bedrooms here. A misty presence was observed moving along the ceiling in the 1940's, and a young girl is also said to haunt the building.
First added: 2002-06-17 | Last updated: 2002-06-17 | ID #1289
Grey Lady
Location: Sissinghurst - Approaching the village from Wilsley Pound
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2000s?
Further Comments: By a large tree near a white house on the approach to Sissinghurst from Wilsley Pound, a phantom grey lady occasionally stands.
First added: 2007-02-20 | Last updated: 2007-02-20 | ID #7109
Priest
Location: Sissinghurst - Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The garden area is said to be home for a peaceful monk, killed by Sir John Baker who built the castle. His footsteps have been heard walking alongside visitors to the gardens. A phantasm has also been reported on a staircase in the castle, though it is unclear whether it is the same entity.
First added: 2002-06-17 | Last updated: 2002-06-17 | ID #1279
Crossers
Location: Sittingbourne - Railway Level Crossing (no longer part of the railway)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa 1893
Further Comments: The crossing here had a spooky reputation after a train driver spotted a white figure run across the line in the early hours of the morning. The driver thought that the figure had been hit by his train, but when the area was searched, nothing could be found. At least one person had died on the crossing and a footbridge was erected as a result.
First added: 2020-05-02 | Last updated: 2020-05-02 | ID #13724
Small French Man
Location: Smarden - The Chequers Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late Spring (reoccurring)
Further Comments: The ghost of a French POW from the Napoleonic war is said to move small items around the premises and upset pets in the building.
First added: 2002-06-06 | Last updated: 2002-06-06 | ID #1097
Green Lady
Location: Southborough - Common
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 31 December (reoccurring)
Further Comments: Roaming the common on New Year's Eve, nothing more is known about this woman.
First added: 2023-10-01 | Last updated: 2023-10-01 | ID #15078
Short Woman
Location: Southfleet - Rectory
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1950s
Further Comments: Believed to be either a nurse or a nun, this spectre wears a brown outfit and carries an armful of paper.
First added: 2002-06-16 | Last updated: 2002-06-16 | ID #1244
Jack
Location: St Margaret's at Cliffe - Unidentified fields in the area
Type: Other
Date / Time: November 1904
Further Comments: A group of men looking for a ghost which had taken up haunting the area claimed something like 'Spring Heeled Jack' escaped them by running into the mist. Several other ghosthunters mistook a nurse walking home for the ghost, while another team startled a horse and trap which narrowly avoided injuring the driver.
First added: 2020-05-12 | Last updated: 2026-01-31 | ID #13776
Long Sea Beast
Location: St Margaret's Bay - Off coast
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: 1912
Further Comments: This sea serpent was observed moving swiftly through the water, vanishing from view after a sailing boat moved too close to it.
First added: 2003-06-28 | Last updated: 2003-06-28 | ID #4372
Moaning
Location: Staplehurst - The Kings Head public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1972
Further Comments: After a headstone in the garden was removed, phantom noises came from the bar area once it was devoid of human life, and the guest room. The latter area is supposed to terrify animals.
First added: 2002-06-17 | Last updated: 2002-06-17 | ID #1285
Python?
Location: Strood - Carnation Road area
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: Late 1990s
Further Comments: There were reports of a large snake, presumed to be a python, observed in people's gardens along this road and the nearby wooded area. One witness observed the creature swimming in her pond.
First added: 2024-10-12 | Last updated: 2024-10-12 | ID #15657
Black Cat
Location: Strood - General area
Type: ABC
Date / Time: 1990s
Further Comments: One witness observed a large black cat in an alleyway eating something, while a teenage girl camping in a garden peered out after hearing a noise and spotted green eyes looking at her. One theory is that the creature lived in woodland near Higham.
First added: 2024-10-12 | Last updated: 2024-10-12 | ID #15656
Kentish Longtails
Location: Strood - General area
Type: Curse
Date / Time: 24 December 1190 onwards
Further Comments: One legend says that Thomas Becket was riding through the land when a member of the de Broc family cut off his horse's tail. This must have mightily upset the archbishop, as Becket cursed the population of Strood to be born with tails.
First added: 2008-08-25 | Last updated: 2008-08-25 | ID #8779
Black Cat
Location: Strood - Private residence, Albatross Avenue
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1979
Further Comments: A phantom black cat would walk through the walls, and two different phantom men were seen in the property. Mild poltergeist activity would also occur when the occupants discussed leaving. A clairvoyant reportedly exorcised the entity, which she claimed was the ghost of a child who had died over one hundred years previous.
First added: 2026-05-16 | Last updated: 2026-05-16 | ID #16559
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