The Paranormal Database is regularly updated. New and revised records may be stories from yesterday, last week or could date back hundreds of years...
Woman
Location: Birkenhead (Cheshire) - Private residence close to the A552
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Pre 2017
Further Comments: Prior to renovation, a ghostly woman was spotted in the house.
Invaders
Location: Dublin (County Dublin) - Dublin Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Men who tried to invade the castle were executed on site and their headless remains buried beneath the site. Sometimes their spirits are said to wander.
Phantom Jaywalker Alarming Motorists
Location: Mistley (Essex) - Small hump-backed bridge known as Hopping Bridge
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Matthew Hopkins is named as this phantom jaywalker, reported to wear clothing suited to the seventeenth century.
Nun
Location: Borley (Essex) - Rectory (destroyed by fire 1939, ruins demolished 1944)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Pre 1944
Further Comments: Commonly called 'the most haunted house in England', the rectory became a household name after ghosthunter Harry Price's investigations of the building featured heavily in the popular press. On 28 July 1900, four witnesses reported seeing a phantom nun, while Price himself was said to have documented over two thousand paranormal occurrences between October 1929 to January 1932 (although Price has been accused of personally creating at least a few of the events).
French Cavalryman
Location: Langenhoe (Essex) - Rectory
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Likely circa 1930s
Further Comments: While checking on the property as it stood empty, Mr Merryweather claimed to have spotted a French cavalryman standing on the lawn. A policeman who was with Merryweather carried out a search but was unable to find anyone.
Cottage Entity
Location: Borley (Essex) - Unnamed cottage
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa 1940s
Further Comments: In Haunted Borley by A C Henning, the author alludes to a large cottage being haunted, although further information is lacking.
Guardians
Location: Lagg, Isle of Arran (Ayrshire) - Torrylin Cairn
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Structures still present
Further Comments: Strange shadowy entities once stood guard over the burial chambers, cursing anyone who removed treasure or relics. In one instance, the entities followed home a man who removed a skull and tore around his home like a whirlwind. The man returned the skull the following day, but even then, the phantoms remained, until he was thrown from his horse and killed a few months later.
Whispers
Location: Bicester (Oxfordshire) - British Heart Foundation charity shop
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa 2010
Further Comments: Staff at the charity shop reported hearing voices and spotting a strange mist. Chairs would be found moved and lights which had been switched off were found turned back on.
Three Knights
Location: Castle Hedingham (Essex) - Road through the village
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: June 2015, approximately 09.30h on a Sunday morning
Further Comments: A witness driving through the village spotted three men dressed in medieval armour standing outside a row of cottages. The witness initially thought the knights were reenactors, although the figures and the surrounding environment were blurry, as if seen through frosted glass. No reenactment had been advertised for the day of the encounter.
Illuminated Couple
Location: Shotton Colliery (Durham) - Road which now runs through Bracken Hill Business Park
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Early 1970s
Further Comments: While driving along a minor road, two witnesses spotted a man and a woman walking towards them in the road ahead, lit up white as if from an oncoming car. As the road was narrow, the driver slowed to a safe speed. As the car drew level to the man and woman, both suddenly vanished. While the man had a 1930s trench coat, the woman wore a normal winter coat that any other person would wear.
Woman with Dark Hair
Location: Gosport (Hampshire) - Hotel (name withheld)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa 2003
Further Comments: A witness awoke in the middle of the night and spotted a woman with long dark hair sitting in a chair. After the witness rubbed their eyes for a few seconds, they then watched the woman walked out of the room through a closed door. It was later discovered that staff reported hearing people in the room even when it was empty.
Dark Cowled Figure
Location: Brighton (Sussex) - John Beal and Son (no longer trading), East Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1950
Further Comments: This figure, most likely to be a monk, has been described appearing after dark, and having no face.
White Outline
Location: Belfast (County Antrim) - Grey Point Fort, Helen's Bay
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: August 2003
Further Comments: While on a day out, the Garvin family caught a white shape on their video camera. When slowed down on replay, they reported a figure which resembled a Second World War soldier.
Henry
Location: Whitehaven (Cumbria) - Rum Story Museum
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa 2004
Further Comments: Staff named this ghostly entity Henry and blamed him for creating strange sensations, and unexplainable occurrences during ghost hunts on the site.
Man in Black Cloak
Location: Northfleet (Kent) - Ye Olde Leather Bottle public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2004
Further Comments: The landlord claimed the site was haunted by a man in a black cloak, and a maid who haunted the upper rooms. A poltergeist would push items off the shelves.
Little Boy
Location: Great Yarmouth (Norfolk) - White Horse Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa 2003
Further Comments: The pub featured in local press in 2003 after it was claimed that the ghosts which haunted the site was a 'stumbling block' for the sale of the building. Visiting ghost hunters said the pub was haunted by a small child and a woman named Mary. In addition, a poltergeist would switch lights on and off, and causing electrical items to fail.
Anne Boleyn
Location: Wilmslow (Cheshire) - Bollin Hall (demolished nineteenth century, likely a railway viaduct now stands on the site)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: It was claimed that the hall was both the birthplace of Anne Boleyn and where her ghost returned.
Hooded Figure
Location: EC2R (Greater London) - Coleman Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 18 March 2012
Further Comments: On a bright sunny morning one witness spotted the reflection of a hooded figure in the glass of a building disappear behind a pillar. The witness waited to see who it was, and when the figure did not appear from behind the pillar, went to investigate - no one was there.
Benevolent Voices
Location: Coatbridge (Lanarkshire) - Private house near Showcase Leisure Park
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 2005 - 2012
Further Comments: Scratching, loud banging, disembodied footsteps and flashing lights were experienced in this home, as well as strange unidentifiable ringing during the night. Voices emerged from children's toys which tried to warn of an upcoming event. One child reported seeing the apparition of tall old woman, while another would talk to something other family members could not see.
Nun
Location: SE13 (Greater London) - Outside St Swithun's Church, Hither Green Lane, Lewisham
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A witness briefly observed the bottom of a nun's habit, moving as if swirling and floating around in the garden. The witness stated that when seen, the surrounding area appeared 'unreal' for a few seconds.
Maid
Location: Ticknall (Derbyshire) - Calke Abbey
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Sightings unknown, log in 2018
Further Comments: Several entities are reputed to haunt this site, including a maid in the kitchen and another figure in the entrance hall. Voices are said to emerge from empty rooms. In 2018 a ghost hunter claimed to contact a spirit which had taken up residence in a wooden log; the spirit was named as a former resident of the abbey.
Vanishing Woman
Location: Creenahoe (County Fermanagh) - Sligo Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 15 October 2021, 05:20h
Further Comments: A witness watched a woman walking with a dog vanish without trace.
Screaming
Location: Pluckley (Kent) - Area around the Brickworks, Pluckley Heath
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1991, and 09 October 2021
Further Comments: To hear the screaming ghost is not uncommon in this area and is reported to be quite bloodcurdling. A witness who heard the scream in 1991 said that they were familiar with fox noises and the ghost's cries did not resemble those of the creature. In 2021 two witnesses were left 'spooked' as they drove past the Brickworks and passed through a localised mist which contained pocket-like holes.
Cube With Arms
Location: Livingston (Lothian) - Skies over the town
Type: UFO
Date / Time: 05 October 2021, 22:50h
Further Comments: A UAP was spotted by multiple witnesses. The object was difficult to make out, due to the piercing light it emitted, but was thought to be simular to a cube with 'arm light' appendages. A witness estimated the object to be between four and six times the size of an aircraft. The UAP was initially stationary but moved north over the Edinburgh flight path.
invisible Bird
Location: Malvern Wells (Hereford & Worcester) - Grundys Lane
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: 2000s
Further Comments: Two occupants of a house on this street felt the sensation of an invisible bird passing through their heads, and out a closed window.
Alarm
Location: NW1 (Greater London) - The New Diorama Theatre, Camden
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2021
Further Comments: Duty managers at the theatre have reported the door of the disability-access toilet locking itself, and the alarm being triggered, when the facility is unoccupied.
My Spook
Location: Camberley (Surrey) - Private residence, Windermere Walk
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1990s
Further Comments: A family visiting an older relative along this street witnessed a radio turning itself on unaided. The relative declared, 'oh, that's my spook!' and said similar events had occurred in the past.
A Hound Follows
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne (Tyne and Wear) - General area
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: Belief circa nineteenth century?
Further Comments: It was believed that a phantom dog would follow midwives as they travelled around the city. If the dog laughed as the midwife reached her destination, all would be well, but if the hound howled, then complications would follow. One report described the hound as Mastiff-like.
Green Lady
Location: Skipness (Argyll and Bute) - Skipness Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The castle is reputed to be haunted by a green lady which protects the castle. The entity is said to dislikes dogs, although no one appears to be sure how this dislike manifests.
Figure in Black
Location: Bellochantuy (Argyll and Bute) - Argyll hotel
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2021, late 1990s
Further Comments: A guest awoke to the sounds of quiet laughter and rummaging. As the guest sat up, they spotted a black-clad figure who vanished when the light was switched on. The guest searched the room but no one was there. After they returned to bed, the guest watched several small balls of light flit around the room. Another visitor to the hotel during the late 1990s reported on a local forum that he had witnessed a dark figure walking around his room before vanishing. The nephew of former owners believed the site to be haunted.
Older Gentleman
Location: Montacute (Somerset) - Private residence
Type: ha
Date / Time: 2020s
Further Comments: The phantom older gentleman has been observed both in the house and on the grounds. He is blamed for the opening and closing of curtains, disembodied footsteps, and unexplained bangs. On multiple occasions during renovation work builders on the site would investigate sounds which they suspected came from copper thieves, but no one would ever be found and nothing was missing.
Charlie
Location: Hemsworth (Yorkshire) - Alpha Public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twenty-first century
Further Comments: Staff have spotted movement in their peripheral vision and heard a man coughing when the pub is empty. The ghost, nicknamed Charlie, is said to be non-threatening, although some staff refuse to venture into the cellar alone.
Henry
Location: Corsley (Wiltshire) - White Hart public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 02 July 2021
Further Comments: The ghost nicknamed Henry was blamed for moving a bar measure across the counter, which was noticed on CCTV. Customers have claimed to have seen 'something' behind the bar, and in another incident, the landlady felt a hand grab her leg while working.
Heavy Footsteps
Location: Englefield Green (Surrey) - Wooded area off Coopers Hill Lane
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: April 2021
Further Comments: While walking through this wooded area, one person heard heavy footsteps approaching along the footpath. No one could be seen, even though there was a disturbance on the ground. Even though it was a bright sunny day, the area felt oppressive, and the witness left the area terrified.
Tall Figure
Location: Bulwell (Nottinghamshire) - Private residence
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 2007 onwards
Further Comments: The Nottingham Ghost Investigations team have reported several entities haunt this site, including a tall figure in a trench coat, a small blonde haired girl, a shadow man, a teenage boy, and an old man named Bill. Items have been thrown about and unexplained voices, footsteps and bangs reported.
Breaking Glass
Location: Llanarthney (Dyfed) - Emlyn Arms public house
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Circa 1910
Further Comments: A poltergeist is reported to have caused much distress and damage in this pub over several days, including throwing hot stones around and creating disembodied footsteps in empty rooms. A police officer who attended reported narrowly avoiding being hit by a polished rock which launched itself off a mantelpiece.
Mr Smith
Location: W2 (Greater London) - Private residence, Hyde Park Square
Type: Other
Date / Time: Pre 1872
Further Comments: A rumour started that a house was haunted by its former owner, Mr Smith. Smith was a former architect who requested that, after his death, his body should be placed in a glass coffin and stored in a glass room on the roof of his home. The story of the transparent coffin and ghost ensured the property remained empty for over a decade, until a coroner forced entry and discovered that the story of the coffin was false (he apparently did not find a ghost either).
Miner
Location: Pontypool (Gwent) - Baldwin's Clog & Legging Mine
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: December 1904
Further Comments: Miners refused to work alone after a ghostly figure with a naked light in its forehead was observed tapping the roof and sides of a tunnel. One newspaper claimed the figure could only be seen from one direction.
Mourning Lady
Location: NW6 (Greater London) - West End Lane Station (now West Hampstead railway station)
Type: Other
Date / Time: Circa 1907
Further Comments: Travelling to Kew, Mrs Thompson watched a lady who appeared to be in mourning board the carriage. Thompson had placed a parcel and bunch of flowers by her side, so removed the items to make room for the lady to sit down, but the lady had vanished. Thompson replaced the items. When the train reached the next station, the carriage door opened and the lady in mourning entered, this time very much flesh and blood, and asked Thompson to move the flowers so she could sit.
Too Many Ghosthunters
Location: E9 (Greater London) - Hackney Churchyard, Mare Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: August 1895
Further Comments: A crowd of around two thousand people descended on this churchyard after a rumour started that it was haunted. At least one man was arrested for being drunk and disorderly, and gravestones were damaged by the crowd. A piece of folklore said three boys once played cards in the churchyard, with one proclaiming 'God may strike me down if I win this game'; the boy promptly fell dead and reputedly took to haunting the spot.
Veiled Lady
Location: Barnton (Cheshire) - General area
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1907
Further Comments: A black-clad woman with a veil was spotted several times walking the roads in the village during the early hours of the morning. One newspaper speculated the woman was a practical joker.
Darting White Figure
Location: Bronllys (Powys) - All over the village (including Pontywal)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa 1908
Further Comments: This white entity was seen several times silently moving at speed around the village, sometimes disappearing only to reappear moments later draped in black. Even though occasionally pursued by locals, it could never be caught, and even once appeared in Pontywal (the home of Breconshire's chief constable).
Veiled Woman
Location: Osgodby, Selby (Yorkshire) - General area
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa November 1910
Further Comments: This female entity stepped out in front of a farmer driving a horse and trap, bidding the man 'goodnight' before disappearing into nearby trees. A cyclist also encountered the ghost, describing it as a woman wearing a black veil.
Goat
Location: Higham (Kent) - Gads Hill Place
Type: Other
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: During a book lecture, Alfred Tennyson Dickens claimed that servants at his home had threatened to leave after being scared by a ghost. Dickens and his sons investigated and discovered a strange sounding white shape, which transpired to be an aging goat.
Phantom Hunt
Location: Penbryn (Dyfed) - Unidentified farm in the parish
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Phantom hounds and hunters were once said to make an occasional appearance here.
Police (and Not a Ghost)
Location: SE1 (Greater London) - Unknown house, Bermondsey Street
Type: Other
Date / Time: 1909
Further Comments: James Phillips was told he was 'more likely to find a policeman than a ghost' by a judge while in court for breaking into an alleged haunted house.
Photographed Figure
Location: Barnstaple (Devon) - Nineteenth century burial site (may no longer exist)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: May 1909
Further Comments: After a rumour started that a ghost had been seen in this disused site, a man claimed to have photographed the spirit rising from a grave. The image was displayed in his window; it is unclear whether any copies of the photograph exist today.
Tall Man
Location: Galway (County Galway) - Newcastle area (possibly neighbourhood known as Granville)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: November 1908
Further Comments: Two men walking in the evening encountered a dark human-like shape, some nine foot (2.74 metres) in height. The figure vanished as it moved closer, only to reappear further down the road. The following night, a party armed with sticks and pistols tried to find the entity. They succeeded, although as one man took aim with his revolver, he dropped the weapon and fainted. The entity vanished once again and never returned.
Flaming Woman
Location: Pluckley (Kent) - Surrenden House (original house no longer standing)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa 1904
Further Comments: Contemporary newspapers reported that a visitor to the house spotted a burning woman holding a baby running along the driveway. The witness fainted, and by the time she had recovered, the figure had vanished. Another entity, possibly later the same day, was said to have tried to strangle another woman in her bed (although the newspaper speculated this event occurred because of the day's excitement).
A Five Shilling Encounter
Location: Liverpool (Merseyside) - Unknown house in Field Street
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: September 1904
Further Comments: Hugh Morgan was fined five shillings after being caught smashing a window of an empty house which was said to be haunted. Hugh claimed he was attempting to lay the ghost.
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