The Paranormal Database

Brighton's Metropole Hotel.

Swinging Beads

Location: Brighton - Metropole Hotel
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Late twentieth century (?) and 2000
Further Comments: A cleaner and the night manager watched glass beads hanging from wall lamps swing for no apparent reason. The sound of a baby crying has also been reported on occasion, although no infant can be found when the sounds are investigated. In 2000, a member of staff encountered an old man in the building and engaged him in conversation; he later discovered the old man had died years previously.

A restaurant along New Road, Brighton.

Flying Knife

Location: Brighton - 7 New Road (was Leadbelly's, currently El Mexicano)
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 1980s onwards
Further Comments: A knife was thrown through the air by an unseen hand and a set of keys vanished only to reappear in plain view an hour later, when this restaurant was Leadbelly's. Since that time, banging has been heard coming from the restaurant when empty, and a member of staff reportedly spotted a phantom old man in the basement.

Lady in Mackintosh

Location: Brighton - A23 southbound, north of town between pylons and roadside cafe
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown, likely mid to late twentieth century
Further Comments: One woman driving home watched as a lady wearing a mackintosh stepped out in front of the car. There was no impact and, looking back into the rearview mirror, the lady in the mackintosh could not be seen. Many years later, the driver listened to a work colleague as he described a similar incident that had occurred to his friend. The friend had reported it to the police who told him sightings of the ghostly lady were fairly common.

Ali Cats public house, Brighton.

Groaning

Location: Brighton - Ali Cats public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2000s
Further Comments: During refurbishment work in this pub, workmen were said to have heard strange human groans and encountered unexplained cold spots.

All Saints Church, Brighton.

Pale Woman in Grey

Location: Brighton - All Saints church, Patcham
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This ill looking woman appeared along a pew during a Christmas service, disappearing after a kind gentleman placed his coat around her shoulders, trying to keep her warm.

Ape record shop, Brighton.

Nuns

Location: Brighton - Ape (formally Lawleys), North Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A former manager is said to have seen three phantom nuns in this property. The entities reportedly glide across the floor before vanishing through the back wall.

Aquarium public house, Brighton.

Known by Name

Location: Brighton - Aquarium Public House
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: An unknown voice is said to call out to staff and customers using their first names.

Screams

Location: Brighton - Area around Norfolk Square
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1940s onwards
Further Comments: A German bomb killed many people here during the Second World War. The screams of the injured could be heard for years after the event.

Area around the library, Brighton.

Child in Pyjamas

Location: Brighton - Area around the library
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Prior to early 1990s
Further Comments: Thought to have been killed during a Second World War bombing raid, this small ghostly child dressed in pyjamas is said to carry a wooden toy. It is not clear whether the ghost has been observed since the 1990s, when the last of the bomb damaged buildings were fully demolished.

Churchill Square Shopping Centre, Brighton.

Black Belly

Location: Brighton - Area surrounding Churchill Square Shopping Centre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1911 onwards
Further Comments: The area surrounding this shopping centre is reputedly home to Black Belly, an apparition which is normally observed from the corner of the eye. The figure is said to resemble a large bald man, wearing a shirt which does not quite cover his stomach, revealing a bloated and bruised stomach. The figure is also said to hover a few centimetres from the ground. One of the last witnesses to see Black Belly is reported to be a telecoms engineer who reported the sighting to the police.

Bandstand along Kings Road, Brighton.

Gaunt Girl

Location: Brighton - Bandstand along Kings Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1990s
Further Comments: One person reportedly spotted this phantom, thought to be the ghost of a homeless girl who died of an overdose, as they stopped behind the bandstand to urinate. The ghost is said to be wearing ragged clothing and be very pale with sunken skin.

Bat and Ball pub, Brighton (photograph supplied).

Barefooted Woman

Location: Brighton - Bat & Ball public house, Ditchling Road
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: 1990s
Further Comments: A witness cashing up at the end of the night watched a barefooted woman wearing a nightdress appear and start to dance. The figure passed through the bar and vanished when reaching the corner of the room. This dancing woman may or may not be the same as the phantom grey haired, middle aged woman who is said to vanish into thin air here.

Bath Arms pub, Brighton.

Victorian Man

Location: Brighton - Bath Arms public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Victorian man in 1990s
Further Comments: This phantom is said to be a middle aged Victorian man seen standing by a pillar. Another phantom reported to haunt the site wears a tricorn hat.

Crying

Location: Brighton - Commercial site, Lewes Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twenty-first century
Further Comments: Several strange events were reported in this building, including the sounds of children crying, a woman in black being spotted, items moving on their own accord, and chattering emerging from empty rooms.

Brighton's Corn Exchange.

Flushing

Location: Brighton - Corn Exchange
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Twentieth century?
Further Comments: This poltergeist practical joker was reported to flush toilets while they were in use. The entity was also reported to break glasses in the bar when no one was close by.

The Franklin Tavern in Brighton.

Shadow

Location: Brighton - Franklin Tavern, Lewes Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1990s
Further Comments: A former barmaid claimed to have seen a shadowy figure on three different occasions behind the bar while working here. Whether this sighting relates to the rumour the site is haunted by a former owner and his wife is unknown.

The Friends Meeting House in Brighton.

Victorian Child

Location: Brighton - Friends Meeting House, Prince Albert Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Spring, 2009
Further Comments: Said to be around three years of age, this young girl dressed in Victorian clothing was spotted on the back steps of this building.

The Gardner Arts Centre in Brighton.

Grey Smoke

Location: Brighton - Gardner Arts Centre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1979
Further Comments: A grey mist accompanied by clanking and a drop in temperature was reportedly seen on stage by cleaning staff at this theatre.

Brighton's George Beard pub.

Female Jailor

Location: Brighton - George Beard public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This woman has been seen on the steps leading down to the cellar, though locals say she has not recently appeared.

Brighton's Grand Hotel.

Seventh Floor

Location: Brighton - Grand Hotel
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2000s
Further Comments: The seventh floor of this hotel is said to be home to a phantom, although details are fleeting.

Stroking

Location: Brighton - Green Yard public house, Black Lion Street
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Late twentieth century?
Further Comments: A former nineteenth century animal pound, this pub is now said to experience items which fall from shelves without reason, lights which switch off unaided, and invisible hands which stroked the forehead of a female customer.

Floor Shadow

Location: Brighton - Guitar, Amp and Keyboard (GAK), North Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2019
Further Comments: CCTV taken in the shop showed a ghostly shadow moving across the floor. Cameras also recorded guitars gently swaying from side to side and an item falling off the wall with nobody close by.

Glass Smashing

Location: Brighton - Ha! Ha! Bar, Pavilion Buildings
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Early 2001
Further Comments: Noises and the breaking of glasses resulted in the owners calling in the ghost hunters in early 2001.

Tapper

Location: Brighton - Hanningtons department store (no longer operating), North Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late twentieth century
Further Comments: A phantom was said to have developed a habit of tapping customers on the shoulder when they visited the perfume department.

Monk

Location: Brighton - Harlequin Bar, Providence Place
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A phantom monk is said to have been spotted on the first floor, while a ghostly girl lurks in a passage which leads to the toilets. An exorcism is reputed to have taken place many years ago which rid the site of the entities.