The Paranormal Database

Tall Man in Cloak

Location: Chelmsford - Patching Hall Lane
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1970s
Further Comments: This tall pallid figure, wearing a top hat and cloak, was seen by a teenage witness out with a couple of friends - the figure disturbed them to such an extent, they ran off. The witness looked back to see if he was following, only to see the ghost vanish before their eyes.

Older Woman with Trolley

Location: Chelmsford - Pedestrian crossing over Parkway
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa 2013
Further Comments: A witness waiting at the crossing spotted a 'normal' older woman with a trolley or bag on the other side of the road waiting to also cross. The witness looked away for a few seconds, and when she looked back, the older woman had vanished, with no discernible place where she could have moved to.

Footsteps

Location: Chelmsford - Private building, New London Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: November 2013
Further Comments: Working alone into the evening, this witness heard three distinct footsteps ahead of their location. When they mentioned the footsteps to their team leader a few weeks, she admitted that she had also heard them.

Victorian

Location: Chelmsford - Regiment Way roundabout in Beaulieu
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2018, 00:00h
Further Comments: While driving along this road, two people slowed down to ascertain their location. As they approached the roundabout, both spotted a man wearing Victorian clothing, including a small top hat, walking along the side of the road. After a few seconds, the man vanished, leaving behind mist.

Tapping Behind Sealed Door

Location: Chelmsford - Spotted Dog Inn, Tindal Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Mid twentieth century
Further Comments: No longer standing (replaced by a shopping centre) the Spotted Dog Inn had an infamous sealed room, haunted by the ghost of a guest murdered in his sleep. His tapping would wake any who tried to sleep within, hence the sealing. Some reports exist of the entity in the shopping centre itself, where it earned the nickname of 'Box Monster', due to its habit of throwing cardboard boxes around.

The Funny Man

Location: Chelmsford - Springfield Place, near Chelmsford
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: 1864, 1946
Further Comments: Many have complained of being harassed by an unknown force while at the building, reports blaming an ugly little dwarf said to haunt the area, particularly the churchyard.

Fire Dancer

Location: Chelmsford - Unknown dance hall
Type: SHC
Date / Time: 27 August 1938
Further Comments: As Phyllis Newcombe (22) left the dance floor, her dress burst into flame, and she died a few hours later in hospital. Tests showed that her clothing could not be ignited with a cigarette.

Friendly Lady in White

Location: Chigwell - The Marchings, Gravel Lane
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1969
Further Comments: Believed to be a friend of King John, this ghost has frequently been seen in the house.

Suicidal Agnes

Location: Chigwell - Woolston Hall, now a country club?
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: 1980s
Further Comments: The spirit appearing only picking on males, Agnes is believed to have jumped from a third floor window to her death, and now haunts that floor.

Highwayman

Location: Chingford - Area around Richmond Avenue and The Avenue in Highams Park
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: New Year's Eve, year unknown
Further Comments: A woman out walking in the area reported seeing a phantom highwayman who rode past her - the terrified witness ran back to her family.

Hunter in the Darkness

Location: Chingford - Chingford Hall
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The hall is said to be haunted by a creature that strikes in pitch blackness; local stories tell of a tramp that once spent a night in the building, only to be found insane the following day.

Footsteps

Location: Chingford - Chingford Mount Cemetery
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: People have reported the sounds of footsteps walking on the grass behind them - though no-one is present when the witnesses look around. A spectral man dressed in black rides on horseback between the graves, occasionally dismounting before vanishing.

Edwardian Gentleman

Location: Chingford - Friday Hill House, Simmons Lane
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: Said to resemble Stan Laurel, this ghost was seen in Friday Hill House by a former occupier. A crying woman in a white veil has also been seen on the site.

Grey Lady

Location: Chingford - Highams Park
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: It has been speculated that this phantom woman drowned in the lake and now walks around seeking rest. A ghostly white deer is also said to haunt the same area.

There's Something About Mary

Location: Chingford - Royal Forest Hotel, Rangers Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2000s
Further Comments: Killed in a fire in 1912, Mary's shade returned to the building once it was rebuilt - she sits on a bed on the upper part of the building when not spooking the dogs.

Shadowy Figures Dancing Around Grave

Location: Chrishall - One mile away from Chrishall, a yew tree marking a mass grave.
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The yew tree marks the sight of a mass grave of plague victims, killed when the old town hall was set ablaze. The ghosts of those buried are said to dance around the tree, as a warning that the grave must never be disturbed.

Drowned Girl

Location: Clacton-on-Sea - Baptist Church along Pier Avenue
Type: Post-Mortem Manifestation
Date / Time: 1954
Further Comments: The sister of a bride was visible on several photographs, even though she had drowned a dozen years previous.

The beach between Clacton and Jaywick, Essex.

Owner of the Arm

Location: Clacton-on-Sea - Beach between Clacton and Jaywick
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1986
Further Comments: A man reported that his dog uncovered a human arm along the beach. He carried the arm home before taking the severed limb to the police station, and for several weeks afterwards, his house was plagued by loud bangs and rapping.

Sounds of a Struggle

Location: Clacton-on-Sea - Carr's Farm House, Coppins Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1980s?
Further Comments: The owners of this property reported several spooky occurrences, including phantom footsteps and muffled cries and the sounds of a struggle near the top of the staircase.

Three Pilots with Pale Faces

Location: Clacton-on-Sea - Disused sandpit and spinney
Type: Post-Mortem Manifestation
Date / Time: 1953
Further Comments: Seen by two children, the three pilots are believed to be German, the sandpit being a crash site for a Messerschmitt 110 shot down during the Second World War. The area is currently a car park for a nearby factory.

Little Old Men with Long Beards and Pointy Hats

Location: Clacton-on-Sea - Jaywick's Frobisher Primary School, school field
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: 1982
Further Comments: Two girls watched a couple of fairy folk, described as looking like the average garden gnome, dig a hole in the school's playing field.

Junction of London Road and St Johns Road, Clacton.

Riderless Horse

Location: Clacton-on-Sea - Junction of London Road and St Johns Road, Great Clacton
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Early twentieth century
Further Comments: Before traffic in the area increased considerably, there were several reports of a ghostly horse without rider which would cross the roundabout before vanishing into a now demolished barn.

The site of the old ballroom at the former Butlins camp, Clacton.

Soldier Killed in a Fight

Location: Clacton-on-Sea - Old ballroom at former Butlins camp, near Martello Tower (no longer standing)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: On 11 June 1938, Butlin's Clacton opened its doors, although it was briefly closed and used as a training base when the Second World War broke out. A local legend says that a soldier was stabbed and killed in a fight which occurred at the ballroom and took to haunting the area. The camp, which stood close to the Martello Tower, was demolished and the area redeveloped in the mid-1980s; it appears that the ghost left at the same time.

Stamping and Slamming Doors

Location: Clacton-on-Sea - Old Kinema - currently a Homecare shop?
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: After a 1940's suicide, this cinema gained a reputation as being haunted. The sound of stamping feet has been heard, and doors have opened and closed on their own accord. A few have reported seeing an old man dressed in a 1940's suit.

The Old Lifeboat House in Clacton, Essex.

Moving Stock

Location: Clacton-on-Sea - Old Lifeboat House
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Late twentieth century
Further Comments: A shopkeeper who hired a room to store surplus stock reported that items would rearrange themselves overnight.