The Paranormal Database

Examining folkloric, paranormal & cryptozoological locations in the UK and beyond

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Sussex Ghosts, Folklore and Forteana


The A23 road at night, running through Sussex.

Road Crossers

Location: A23 - Various locations
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1970s onwards
Further Comments: A plethora of ghostly figures have been reported on this road, from London to Brighton. Most appear to interact with drivers - one male figure walks in front of a car, only to disappear when hit, while figures dressed in light coloured clothing have also been observed.

Old Man

Location: A272 - A272/A24 junction (Buck Barn crossroads)
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: October 1947
Further Comments: An aging man sitting on a stone stood up and walked into the path of an oncoming motorcycle. The cyclist felt the impact but retained his balance and took several seconds to stop and turn back to the scene of the accident. However, the old man had vanished.

Horse and Buggy

Location: A272 - Goldbridge Road towards Newick, after the bridge and before the bend
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: November 1994, 23:20h (approx)
Further Comments: Two cars driving in opposite directions were forced to perform emergency stops to avoid a horse and buggy being driven by a cloaked man wearing a top hat. The horse and buggy disappeared. One of the drivers left his car quite shaken, running over to the other to ask what had happened to the old vehicle.


The phantom hound of the Downs.

Running Hound

Location: Alfriston - Between the Downs and Town Fields
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: Full Moon (reoccurring)
Further Comments: A large black dog is said to run from the Downs to Town Fields - here it stares over a flint wall before retreating the way it came.

Little Folk

Location: Alfriston - Burlough (or Burlow) Castle
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Pre-twentieth century
Further Comments: Fairies once made their home here and rewarded a local man with food after he helped one of their kind repair a kitchen utensil.

Blue Lady

Location: Alfriston - Deans Place Hotel
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1970s
Further Comments: Believed to have been murdered on the site, a woman dressed in blue has been observed on the landing. A dog is also said to haunt the car park outside the building.

Modern Looking Lady

Location: Alfriston - Smugglers Inn public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1994
Further Comments: Seen by the owner and her daughter, this ghostly lady seen at the base of the staircase near the bar was said to be wearing a modern gown.

Oxen

Location: Alfriston - St Andrew's church
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Fourteenth century
Further Comments: The layout and shape of this church was determined by the strange appearance of four white oxen on the village green. Their tails all touched, forming a 'x' shape that the church was built in the shape of.

White Dog

Location: Alfriston - The White Way, road leading from the town towards Seaford
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This creature is reportedly the dog of a young man murdered while out walking during the 1700s - because the pitiful hound sat by the victim's shallow grave, the criminals killed it also. The haunting is said to have ceased after the bodies of dog and owner were discovered when the road was widened.

Tall Woman with Grey Hair

Location: Alfriston - 'Tuckvar' house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: This tall phantom lady is said to haunt the stairway and was also seen in the larder. An elderly man with grey hair was seen in and just outside of the garage; he is believed to be the man who once looked after the horses' onsite. Finally, the attic is said to be home to a wispy female figure.

Emily

Location: Amberley - Amberley Castle Hotel
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Early twentieth century
Further Comments: This teenager is seen in and around the kitchen area of the hotel - the stories say she died shortly after having an affair with a bishop.

Little Girl and Old Man

Location: Amberley - Rectory
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: Accompanied by a sense of evil, these two ghosts have been seen several times over the past hundred years.

Huge Monk

Location: Angmering - Area of Ecclesden Manor
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1964 (monk), pre-1991/92 (others)
Further Comments: Locals talk of an enormous monk, standing around fifteen foot tall, which walks the vicinity of the manor house. A disembodied voice that would whisper the name of witnesses was reported in the house itself, where a housekeeper had also reported spotting the ghost of a former owner. Another worker heard several people talking loudly, but upon entering the room from which the voices had emerged, silence fell - the room was empty.

Grey Girl

Location: Ardingly - The Oak public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Appearing to a couple of customers, this phantom girl with dark hair has also been blamed for minor mishaps around the building, such as overnight spillages and items rotating on hooks.

Party

Location: Arlington - Woodhorne Manor
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A loud party has been heard coming from the house, while it was empty. People living in the property reported hearing arguments coming from a stream that runs by the house.

Woman in Pale Coat

Location: Arundel - A27 Arundel Road, heading into Arundel
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: 2011, 22:30h
Further Comments: A woman spotted standing by a road sign along this road wore a pale beige raincoat, smiled manically, and appeared to be illuminated by a bright light from below. One witness felt uneasy by the woman's strange posture, and the police were called as it was thought at the time the woman may have escaped from a nearby hospital. The police did not find anything. In the July of the same year, a husband and wife returning from a wedding spotted a woman in pale clothing as she stepped out in front of their car. They braked and watched as she rose into the air and disappeared.


An old postcard of Arundel Castle.

Cannon Fire

Location: Arundel - Arundel Castle
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Several phantom sounds have been reported at the castle; kitchen equipment has been heard in use, though always empty on investigation, and the distant rumble of cannons being shot at the walls is also reported. The library is haunted by a blue man, flicking through an unknown book, and a young girl flees towards a tower, where she once jumped from and took her life.


An old postcard of Arundel Castle.

Flitting White Bird

Location: Arundel - Castle and surrounding area
Type: Crisis Manifestation
Date / Time: Prior to death in family
Further Comments: It is locally believed that prior to a death in the family, an unidentified white bird hovers and bumps into one of the windows of the castle tower.

Rattling in Kitchen

Location: Arundel - Norfolk Arms Hotel
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 1980s
Further Comments: This playful spirit would turn on and off electrical items, and push kitchen items off work surfaces. Some people have also reported a semi-naked man running around the building.

Priest

Location: Arundel - St Nicholas Church
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1940
Further Comments: Appearing on a photograph taken in the church, this phantom priest could be seen standing by the altar. Two women also haunt the church; a nun has been seen (and heard walking) in the bell tower, while a woman in blue has been observed praying at the altar.

Old Soldiers

Location: Balcombe - Railway tunnel, line to Three Bridges
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Last seen mid 1990?
Further Comments: Killed by a train whilst sheltering from a storm, these three (or four, depending on the source) First World War soldiers have made several appearances; they always slowly fade away when approached.


Battle Abbey in Sussex.

Black Monk

Location: Battle - Battle Abbey
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late twentieth century and possibly 10 November 2014
Further Comments: The monk appears in several places - the guest house, monks' walk, by the walls outside the abbey... A monk has also been seen at the vicarage of St Mary's Church. Back at the abbey, a woman wearing a large red dress has also been seen in the Common House, while King Harold is occasionally reported, complete with the arrow jutting from his head.

Charlie

Location: Battle - Corner of Netherfield Road and London Road
Type: Post-Mortem Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A witness saw his gardener standing at this junction, though several hours had passed since the worker had committed suicide.

Floating Cat

Location: Battle - Gatehouse Restaurant
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century?
Further Comments: This small ghostly house cat floats along a corridor in the restaurant before vanishing through a wall.

Little Girl

Location: Battle - Mount Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late twentieth century
Further Comments: Seen in several of the buildings along this road, including the Bayeux Restaurant, a little girl with golden hair has appeared dressed in early twentieth century clothing.

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