The Paranormal Database

Shannon Passengers

Location: Skegness (Lincolnshire) - The Hildred's (former hotel and pub, demolished in 1987, now shopping centre)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: H Samuels in 2013, others unknown
Further Comments: A sudden storm capsized the pleasure boat Shannon; only three passengers survived and twenty-eight drowned. Twelve bodies were initially recovered and laid out at Hildred's hotel for the coroner to conduct an inquest. The event is blamed for a strange atmosphere found in some parts of the building. Staff at H Samuels Jewellers reported poltergeist activity in 2013. Another ghost, that of Eva May Saxby who died in 1936 after falling through a fanlight, was also said to haunt the site.

The Rollright Stones, England.

Dancing Fairies

Location: Long Compton (actually in Warwickshire) (Oxfordshire) - The Rollright Stones - the King Stone and the Whispering Knights
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Weather Dependent: Mist. Grey figure seen pre-1937, gnome during summer 2001
Further Comments: The King Stone was once a place where fairies danced around. Legend says that the monolith was once a King who was petrified by a witch (though which ruler is unclear). There are so many other smaller stones that it is said to be impossible to count them all. Another set of nearby standing stones known as the Whispering Knights are thought to be the witch's aids, who conspired against the king but were turned to stone anyway. In the early twentieth century, a grey female figure would appear on misty days, twisting and moving strangely within the stone circle. During the summer of 2001, one witness spotted a sixty centimetre man with a red pointed hat standing by a stone. The figure beckoned for the witness to approach, but fear kept them away.

Old postcard of Glastonbury Tor.

Fairy King

Location: Glastonbury (Somerset) - Glastonbury Tor
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: UFO 1980s, tall man Winter 2003, others unknown
Further Comments: Local legend has it that St Collen visited the head of the fairy royal family on this hill. A woman, named by some to be Queen Guinevere, is also said to manifest over the Tor, and possesses golden hair that illuminates the area. During the 1980s, a woman ascending the tor spotted what she thought was the full moon behind trees, only to realise that the globe was moving towards her - she fled. In 2003, another witness quickly left after encountering a tall man, standing between seven and eight feet tall, with red curly hair and two stubby horns. The man wore a huge excited grin.

Unease

Location: Kineton (Warwickshire) - MoD Kineton
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2020s
Further Comments: One story says that during the 1950s, a train accident occurred at crossing Number 13 in which six soldiers died. Staff continue to say they feel uneasy when walking through the area, although no official report of the accident can be found online. The proximity to the Edgehill battle site also causes stories to emerge of guard dogs refusing to go to certain areas.

Jane Charlton

Location: Blackhall Mill (Durham) - Area surrounding the Ship Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Jane took her life in the nearby river in 1906. The exact reason was unknown, but Jane's husband said she had violent tendencies and had previously threatened to kill herself. Jane had previously been accused (but acquitted) of murdering a former employer's son. Her presence remained in the area.

Passing Train

Location: Rowlands Gill (Durham) - Former Lintz Green Railway Station, now a cycle path
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 00:00h, but date last seen unknown
Further Comments: The sound of a train would be heard passing the former station, even though the rail tracks had long been removed.

Unhappy Countess

Location: Rowlands Gill (Durham) - Gibside Hall
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Countess unknown, monk in 1930
Further Comments: Gibside is another location that made it into the National Trust's top ten haunted locations in 2007, which claimed the site to be haunted by an upset female form thought to be Mary Bowes, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne. In 1930, a couple out for a walk spotted a phantom monk or friar.

Footman

Location: Rowlands Gill (Durham) - Hamsterley Hall
Type: Other
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A noisy presence which attached itself to a disliked footman ceased after the man left.

Monk

Location: Pebmarsh (Essex) - Well (location of which is unknown)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Every ten years (but exact date not known)
Further Comments: A ghostly monk would manifest and fetch water from the well every ten years (or so).

Flood

Location: N9 (Greater London) - Private maisonette, Beachcroft Way
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: November 1977 - January 1978
Further Comments: A resident claimed that they had to hide the bath and sink plugs after the poltergeist tried to flood the flat. The same entity was said to have placed a tea towel on the cooker hob, setting the kitchen on fire; the fuse was removed to prevent it happening again. Occupants of other maisonettes in the area reported phantom Victorian figures and mysterious voices.

Footsteps

Location: Ben Alder (Highland) - Ben Alder Cottage (aka McCook's Bothy)
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Footsteps would be heard in empty rooms and some occupants kept awake by thumping furniture or groaning.

George

Location: Crawley (Kent) - Unidentified old cottage in the area
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Mid 1970s
Further Comments: This entity nicknamed George would be tolerated when restricting itself to moving chairs, creating cold spots, and being heard walking around, but after the family's newborn child was found removed from their cot and sleeping on the ground, he was threatened with a visit from the local Vicar.

Man in Long Coat

Location: Horsham (Kent) - Private residence, Tower Hill area
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: February - March 1978
Further Comments: The owners gave chase when they spotted a tall figure in a long grey coat enter the back of their house, but the figure vanished. During renovations on the property, one builder heard noises from an empty room above, while another builder who had worked alone left the building and spotted a figure looking down through a landing window.

Popham's Polt

Location: Kennington (Kent) - Private residences, Upper Vicarage Road
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: April 1977 - 1978
Further Comments: The Popham family featured in newspaper stories when poltergeist activity broke out in their home following structural alterations they had made. Lights would turn on and off, the television changed channels, and a kitchen cupboard opened and spilt the Christmas drink supply. The entity was also blamed for holding the bathroom door shut, preventing Mrs Popham from leaving. Another nearby family said their home also experienced poltergeist activity.

Six Saxons

Location: Lympne (Kent) - Lympne Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Brutally murdered by Normans, six Saxon warriors now haunt the castle. Another version of the story says the deceased were priests, and just a single phantom remains. An eagle haunted one bedroom; one resident placed stuffed birds in the room, so the ghost had fellow avian company. It is also said that a ghostly Roman soldier has been heard ascending the battlements and has been seen falling from the building (a Roman watchtower once stood on the site).

Moving Items

Location: Mundy Bois (Kent) - Rose & Crown public house
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 1975 - 1978
Further Comments: Publican Mrs Motley wrote to a local paper to say while she did not think they had a poltergeist, small items would be constantly moved without reason around the site.

Cobbler

Location: Axbridge (Somerset) - General area
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown, but said to walk at 05:00h (reoccurring)
Further Comments: A cobber who died in the late nineteenth century was said to take a daily walk through the town every morning.

Gowned Figure

Location: Axbridge (Somerset) - Unnamed private residences, High Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A ghostly figure in a nightgown reportedly passed through a group of visitors, while at another nearby property, two female phantoms possessed an aura of happiness.

Grey Ladies

Location: Assington (Suffolk) - Exact locations not known
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A 1978 article in the Suffolk and Essex Free Press said two houses in the village were home to grey ladies, and another was home to a Cromwellian soldier's phantom footsteps.

Leiston Abbey

Shuck Skeleton?

Location: Leiston (Suffolk) - Leiston Abbey
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: 2013
Further Comments: In 2013, the remains of a hound, initially reported to be two metres long, were unearthed on the abbey grounds. Because of the proximity to the village of Bungay, some media outlets claimed the remains belonged to the Black Shuck; an old local legend says the area was home to the large phantom dog. A propagated descendant from the Holy Thorn at Glastonbury was said to grow here, and treasure rumoured to exist on the site - it is worth noting that 321 11th century silver coins (nicknamed The Pasty) were discovered at the nearby Sizewell C construction site in 2025. Finally, a network of secret tunnels were rumoured to connect the abbey to Dunwich's Greyfriars and Framlingham Castle, which would have been an amazing feat of engineering.

Grey Lady

Location: Blaydon (Tyne and Wear) - Axwell Hall (aka Axwell House)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The Gateshead Post reported in 1979 that the hall was home to a grey lady who haunted the upper floors, although no one had recently encountered her. The hall stands near the former site of another mansion, Whitehouse, where two occupants in 1661 were accused of witchcraft.

Thrown Objects

Location: Blaydon (Tyne and Wear) - Bus garage near Hood Square
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Built over the site of a former jail and police station, the garage would come alive in the early hours of the morning to strange sounds and thrown objects,

Wild Man

Location: Blaydon (Tyne and Wear) - Countryside in the area
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: August 1859
Further Comments: Reported at several villages in the area during this time, the 'wild man' was described as a person of 'immense strength and stature', with a huge beard. Local sportsmen, together with a posse, failed to capture the figure.

Suicide

Location: Blaydon (Tyne and Wear) - Selby's Grave (roadside grave, marker may no longer exist)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The area around the grave's site was considered haunted, although the exact details are not known.

Black Dog

Location: Gateshead (Tyne and Wear) - Stephens Hall
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Pre 1972
Further Comments: A former resident of the hall reported seeing the phantom black dog which haunted the property.

Ralph Greaser

Location: Winlaton (Tyne and Wear) - Bleach Green area
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Snowy nights (reoccurring)
Further Comments: Walking stick salesman Ralph Greaser died in 1776, caught in a snowstorm while walking home. For years following his death, Ralph's phantom would appear to travellers in similar environmental conditions. A lady in white also haunted a footpath in the area; she would open the path's gate for any witness before she vanished.

Old Man

Location: Winlaton (Tyne and Wear) - Unknown house (now demolished), California
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Date unknown, 04:00h
Further Comments: An old man who drowned himself in a well haunted this property. He could be heard walking the staircase at four in the morning and would also occasionally sit beside people on the sofa.

Henry

Location: Royal Leamington Spa (Warwickshire) - Private residence, Tachbrook Street
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: April - May 1978
Further Comments: Nicknamed Henry, this poltergeist had a friendly nature for many years until occupant Kenneth Rowe began to share his home radio studio with a new producer. Henry was blamed for the interference affecting Rowe's hospital radio show, and guests reported feeling 'something unusual', with one spotting an apparition.

Grey Ball

Location: Port Talbot (West Glamorgan) - Council house, Sandfields
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: August 1976 - March 1977
Further Comments: Initially restricting itself to creating footsteps and flicking lights on and off, this entity would go on to push wardrobes over and set fire to furniture. Some family members reported seeing a grey, hazy football-sized object float across rooms that would suddenly vanish. After the family left and a new resident moved in, the activity ceased.

Pie Thrower

Location: Coseley (West Midlands) - Old Bush public house
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 1969 - 1979
Further Comments: This pie-loving poltergeist took the blame for customers' food lifting off the bar (whilst being eaten) and dropping to the floor. The entity threw spoons, cigarettes, and ashtrays around the site.

Maybe Bill

Location: Walsall (West Midlands) - Spring Cottage Public House
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: May 1978
Further Comments: After several customers encountered the pub's ghost, landlord John O'Connell attempted spirit writing. John scribbled the name 'Bill', the year 1855, and sketched an 'act of violence'. It would later be discovered that the landlord of the pub in 1855 was William Meddlicott.

Floating Food

Location: Wolverhampton (West Midlands) - Lotus House (Chinese restaurant)
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 02 February 1978
Further Comments: The Shropshire Star reported a poltergeist to be responsible for customers' alarm when utensils, food and a torch were seen to float in mid-air.

Knocking

Location: Runcorn (Cheshire) - Private residence, Castlefields
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: February 1972 - December 1977
Further Comments: After moving away from their home in Liverpool to escape a poltergeist, the Morgan family found themselves once again experiencing strange activity in the form of knocking on their bedhead and a 'presence'. A vicar began to regularly visit the property to help the couple, and although the activity died down in March 1972, it resumed after four weeks. The Morgans featured in the press five years later, reporting the entity continued to harass them, jabbing their ribs and hitting their heads.

Camlan

Location: Camboglanna (aka Castlesteads) (Cumbria) - Roman Fort
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Camboglanna was named as a contender for the site of King Arthur's last battle, with a belief that the site's name could have evolved to Camlann over time.

Rowing Boat

Location: W6 (Greater London) - Hammersmith Bridge
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 18 October 1975, 23:45h
Further Comments: Retired policeman Bill Fergusson and another witness watched as a crewless rowing boat paddle into the bridge where it vanished. The oars could be seen and heard moving unaided, and a red light flickered at the front of the boat.

Naked Man

Location: Goodnestone (Kent) - Park, Serpentine Walk
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: May 2016, 11:00h
Further Comments: Walking his dog through the area, this witness initially heard someone walking in impassable dense woodland which ran adjacent to the footpath. Continuing on his way, the witness finally spotted a naked elderly gentleman with a strangely blurry face who quickly vanished.

Reflection

Location: Bracebridge (Lincolnshire) - St John's Hospital (no longer operational)
Type: Other
Date / Time: September 2010
Further Comments: A 2010 photograph published in the Lincolnshire Echo purported to show a ghostly figure at the window of a discussed hospital, although the image looked suspiciously like pareidolia. One story claimed that two removal men employed to clear the hospital after it closed fled after hearing screaming.

Pushing Down

Location: Goxhill (Lincolnshire) - Unnamed farm and barn on outskirts
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1982 - 1986
Further Comments: A dark human shadow would be seen ascending the staircase, while in older rooms, a presence or the feeling of being watched would be detected. The occasional touch on the shoulder from an unseen force would occur, and people in bed would be pushed down into their mattress.

Ticking

Location: Liverpool (Merseyside) - Private residence, Calgarth Road, Huyton
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: July 1977
Further Comments: A couple left their home after a ticking started in their home. Clocks were stopped and removed, yet the sound continued and would move around the property, sometimes coming from the walls. An exorcism did not help, and after the ceremony, a coffee table was found upturned and pictures removed from the walls.

Strange Man

Location: Liverpool (Merseyside) - Private residence, Woolfall area, Huyton
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: October 1977
Further Comments: Soon after a child in the house complained about the strange man standing by the toy box, various bumps and footsteps began to be heard in the house. A heavy chest of drawers tipped over, taking two people to lift it back into position. A local priest blessed the property.

Hanging Woman

Location: Shrewsbury (Shropshire) - Prince Rupert Hotel
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 22 March 2026
Further Comments: Room Six is said to be home to a phantom woman who has been spotted hanging from the ceiling. Other rooms have much less grisly mild poltergeist activity which result in small objects being moved around. In 2026, a visitor sharing a twin room awoke to see her friend sitting on the end of the bed fiddling with clothing before standing up and walking across the room. The witness then realised her friend was actually still in bed, and that the figure was obviously not her. The witness said the figure's body had a white light around the edge.

White Lady

Location: Bristol (Somerset) - Over Court (located near Cribbs Causeway)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Around Christmas (reoccurring), last seen 1937
Further Comments: This area has the reputation for being haunted by the phantom of a woman who took her own life, though one variation of the story states that her husband shot her. Though injured, she ran away, only to stumble into a fishpond where she drowned. Her hovering ghost was last seen by a band of eighteen carol singers.

Swerving Coach

Location: Brockley (Somerset) - Road leading to Brockley Combe
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Reoccurring: 24 December (coach)
Further Comments: One dramatic version of the story has this phantom coach and four charging at oncoming traffic, causing accidents and chaos. Another says it appears at midnight on Christmas Eve and is silently driven by an eighteenth century coachman who cracks a whip that makes no sound. Some have also reported a headless huntsman in the same area. A phantom horseman is also said to appear on moonless nights, and finally the area is home to a 'bounding' ghost, a figure that runs ahead of people, only to vanish without trace.

Footsteps

Location: Stanton Drew (Somerset) - Cottage
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: More active around Christmas, pre 1970s?
Further Comments: Although limiting itself to the sound of footsteps, this entity scared away some Christmas bell ringers with a crash on the front door.

Unease

Location: Worthing (Sussex) - MGM House (demolished 2017), Heene Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1970s
Further Comments: Security guards felt unease in the basement of this building, where strange sounds and occurrences were said to happen. A journalist who spent the night on site encountered nothing, although they did hear footsteps.

Monkey

Location: Cherry Hinton (Cambridgeshire) - Gog Magog Hills
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A phantom monkey which haunted this region was reported in the dim and distant past. The giant Gogmagog is buried here and the threat of their awakening used to keep children from playing near the chalk pits.

Entity

Location: Sandiacre (Derbyshire) - Screw company
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Early November 1966
Further Comments: When the story of the haunted Sandiacre foundry broke (see other entry), a rumour started that a spooky entity had also been seen here. A spokesperson for the company said they had not heard the rumour.

White Triangle

Location: Sandiacre (Derbyshire) - Taylor Bros foundry
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: First full week of November 1966
Further Comments: Two foundry workers spotted a ghostly figure as they prepared to leave for the evening. One described it as a triangular shape about five feet (152 centimetres) tall and with no real substance. The shape floated to the ceiling before descending and vanishing. Another employee said they had spotted something two years previous but did not dare report it. When the local press contacted management for comment, they were told it was likely moonlight shining through a window.

Victorian Woman

Location: Sandiacre (Derbyshire) - Victorian House (demolished 1980), near Blue Bell Pub
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1920s - 1980
Further Comments: This former home contained three ghosts. An older woman in Victorian clothing would be seen at the attic stairs, bedrooms, and the living room where she would knock things over. An older Victorian man in working clothes would be in the attic bedrooms and walk around the landing and stairs, while finally a poltergeist would make mischief in the cellar and throw items around.

Servant

Location: Cremyll (Cornwall) - Mount Edgcumbe House (original destroyed 1941)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A lady of Edgcumbe was mistaken as dead and buried in the vault. One servant opened her tomb with the intent of taking her rings and managed to wake her during the theft - terrified, the servant ran screaming into the sea and died, leaving his ghost to haunt the area. The lady recovered.