The Paranormal Database

Margory Harrington

Location: Haslingden Grane (Lancashire) - Holden Wood Antiques
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1997
Further Comments: After a mirror broke and the building alarm triggered four times, the ghost of Margory Harrington was blamed. Folklore said she took the form of a spectral white lady after being murdered by her husband.

Flying Bread

Location: Henfield (Sussex) - Budgens Supermarket (closed at this location in 2023)
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Pre 2023
Further Comments: Items would remove themselves from shelves and a jar hovered in the air before falling. More traditional reports of disembodied footsteps and fleeting shadows were also reported.

Purple Cloaked Woman

Location: Herstmonceux (Sussex) - Windmill Hill Stores
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: November 1995
Further Comments: The owners of this shop were convinced they had seen this mysterious apparition walking about the first floor.

Fred

Location: Ilford (Essex) - Aldborough Hall Farm Shop (no longer operational)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Last seen 2002
Further Comments: Seen wearing a dark fleece, and about 1.65 metres in height, this phantom was mistaken for the shop worker's mother, until he realised there was no one else in the shop. The ghost was seen several times and is thought to be a totally benevolent entity of a previous customer.

Eastgate Mall, Inverness.

Foundry Worker

Location: Inverness (Highland) - Eastgate Mall, Laura Ashley shop and Pizza Express restaurant
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2003
Further Comments: Blown light bulbs and fuses are all blamed on the shade of a former worker on the site, as are the movements of the doors when they open and close unaided.

Poltergeist

Location: Ipswich (Suffolk) - Former Lakeland Plastics building
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 1997
Further Comments: Believed to be the ghost of Mother Lakeland, a wise woman/witch who once lived in the area, this entity has been blamed for moving displays around the shop. As a side note, contained within the shop is a fifteenth century chapel that remained undiscovered for many years. It is now open to the public.

Little Girl

Location: Ipswich (Suffolk) - Shop in Tower Ramparts (now known as Sailmakers)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2008
Further Comments: A member of staff reported several spooky occurrences in this shop, including spotting a little girl peering through the bars of a staircase, the image of a man in grey who would walk around (being mistaken for a customer), and boxes which fell off shelves without reason.

Bad Word

Location: Kingston (Surrey) - Unidentified shop, Market Place
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: September 1875
Further Comments: Over the course of a week, mops, buckets, and other items were disturbed within the shop. Windows were also broken by stones, and the word 'bad' written on the staircase. The shop had been partly built on an old graveyard, so the haunting was suspected to have some connection to its locale, although stones were thrown at other properties in the area.

Smoky Figure

Location: Leeds (West Yorkshire) - Old Lewis's building, The Headrow
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: February 2008
Further Comments: A labourer working in the building with a colleague photographed a misty 'figure' with his camera phone. Another worker on site claimed to have seen something from the corner of his eye, though when he quickly turned, it had vanished.

Man in Basement

Location: Leeds (West Yorkshire) - Retail premises along Hunslet Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: March 2007
Further Comments: An employee at this shop spotted an old man in the basement. When they described the man to their manager, they were told the description matched the manager's grandfather who had also worked on the site.

Footsteps

Location: Leigh-on-Sea (Essex) - Old Camping & General Store, A127
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 21 March 2012
Further Comments: A witness reported hearing footsteps and other sounds in this building after it had closed, before seeing items moved unaided.

Noisy Workshop

Location: Leighton Buzzard (Bedfordshire) - Motorbike shop along Lake Street, and surrounding buildings
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 1960s
Further Comments: When Sid, the owner of the bike shop, extended his workshop in the early 1960s, he woke this entity from its sleep. Neighbours complained about the noises coming from his building, even though it was devoid of life, and the one night Sid did work late, he witnessed items throw themselves around the room.

CCTV Man

Location: Leyland (Lancashire) - LG Kitchens
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2008
Further Comments: While viewing CCTV footage, Manager Leo Tommony came across the image of a silhouetted man standing in a ring of light. Footsteps have been heard in the upper part of the building after everyone has left, and lights have turned themselves on.

Victorian Children

Location: Lincoln (Lincolnshire) - Jesters fancy dress shop
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2000s
Further Comments: Owners of the shop, Hazel Smith and her son James, and another employee reported that the building is haunted by Victorian children.

Time Slip

Location: Liverpool (Merseyside) - Bold Street
Type: Other
Date / Time: 1999
Further Comments: On various dates, several people (including an off duty policeman) have reported slipping back in time along this road, finding them surrounded by people dressed in clothing of the 1940s, with a cobbled street and old style shops.

The Baby Seat

Location: Llandudno (Clwyd) - Asda Store
Type: Other
Date / Time: 1990s
Further Comments: Till number thirteen was christened the 'Baby Seat' after several staff became pregnant after sitting and working there.

Bicarbonate of Soda

Location: Long Wittenham (Berkshire) - Co-Op Store
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: November 1962
Further Comments: This mischievous spirit moved food about in front of the staff, floating the bicarb in front of their startled faces. The outbreak lasted for eight days.

Jacobite armed with Dagger

Location: Manchester (Greater Manchester) - Rover's Return trinket shop
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: This former soldier has been seen loitering at the foot of a bed on the property, weapon in hand.

Bra Remover

Location: Margate (Kent) - Pillow Talk sex shop
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2002
Further Comments: A playful spirit here has been blamed for moving stock around overnight. The ghost is rumoured to be a girl who once worked in a brothel on this site.

Heathland at Martlesham Heath, Suffolk.

Long Dead Airman

Location: Martlesham Heath (Suffolk) - Police HQ, heathland, and shopping area
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1978, 1981 (police station), 2004 (shopping area)
Further Comments: The site of a major airfield during the Second World War, the Police Headquarters and the surrounding heathland has a reputation of being haunted by long dead pilots. Several police officers have seen such shades, while more recently, owners of a shop reported seeing a detached human shadow outside their establishment.

Dark Figures

Location: Measham (Leicestershire) - Michael's Plaice fish & chip shop (no longer open)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2007
Further Comments: After the owner encountered ghostly dark figures and experienced poltergeist activity, Spirit Team UK were called in to investigate. They reported an old man hanging around in the upper part of the building, while a small child was encountered downstairs.

Little Girl

Location: Mold (Clwyd) - Party Shop, High Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2008
Further Comments: This shop is said to be haunted by a little lass who leapt from the attic window after being locked in the room. The entity is blamed for the malfunctioning till and the occasional apport.

Organ Music

Location: Morecambe (Lancashire) - Royalty Theatre (no longer standing)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: During the demolition of this building some workers reported the ghostly sounds of an organ being played. The shopping centre that has replaced the theatre may have inherited the ghost, though no one can say for certain.

Heavy Breathing

Location: Much Wenlock (Shropshire) - Spar shop
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twenty-first century
Further Comments: After digging on the site disturbed ancient bones and pottery, strange things occurred in the shop, including misty figures appearing, the sounds of heavy breathing, and trolleys moving themselves across the floor.

Knitting Woman

Location: New Lanark (Lanarkshire) - Flat above unnamed shop in the town
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Early twentieth century
Further Comments: This ghost, dressed in a tartan cape, was seen walking about the premises whilst knitting. She passed through a closed bedroom door.