The Paranormal Database

Shadowy Figure

Location: Colchester - Private residence, Duffield Drive
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa 2008
Further Comments: One witness in this home reported seeing a black shadowy figure standing in a bedroom - it subsequently vanished through a wall. Other events on the site include strange smells, tapping on peoples' shoulders, items being moved around, and the sound of a woman's voice.

Black Smoky Shape

Location: Colchester - Private residence, St Anne's estate
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1970s/1980s
Further Comments: The black smoky shape seen by one witness was preceded by the sounds of groaning and heavy boots. Keys and cutlery would vanish, only to reappear a few days later in strange places, and a decorative plate displayed on a wall hovered in mid-air before falling and breaking into four perfect segments.

Alice Mellor

Location: Colchester - Red Lion Hotel, Lion Walk Shopping Precinct
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Pre-1972
Further Comments: Killed in 1633, Mellor's ghost is said to have been so terrifying that her old room was sealed up and forgotten about. Now part of the hotel, no sightings have recently occurred, though the building is also home to a monk who died in a fire.

Two Men Working on Flower Beds

Location: Colchester - Severalls Hospital (now closed)
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: 1960s (?)
Further Comments: Two gardeners reported seeing a couple of featureless characters working in the garden one rainy afternoon. The gardeners went to investigate, only to see the figures fade away.

Darting Light

Location: Colchester - Sky over Titania Close
Type: UFO
Date / Time: September or October 1976
Further Comments: A group of children playing football watched a light dart around the sky at incredible speed. It momentarily stopped moving before darting off once again in the direction of the A12 road. The light later returned to the area and was seen by other witnesses.

St Botolph's Priory, Colchester.

Dark Smiling Figure

Location: Colchester - St Botolph's Priory
Type: Post-Mortem Manifestation
Date / Time: 1993, and 1994 or 1995
Further Comments: A young girl reported that while playing with her friends around the gravestones, she saw a dark figure by a tomb that smiled at her before disappearing into thin air. Around a year later, a small group of children spotted a tall robed figure standing motionless, looking down at the ground. When one of the group called out to the figure, it turned slightly, resulting in the children running away.

Legs

Location: Colchester - Three Cups public house (no longer operating), Trinity Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1999
Further Comments: While working in the office, this witness looked at the CCTV and spotted a disembodied pair of legs walking through the bar area, seemingly changing direction to follow people. A review of the recording showed a light rather than legs, although the action it performed remained the same.

Victoria Road, Colchester.

Fairies Playing around Trees

Location: Colchester - Victoria Road
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: 1960s
Further Comments: An inhabitant of the road watched a group of fairies dancing around an old tree trunk.

Footsteps, Rapping and Choir

Location: Colchester - Wilson Marriage Community Centre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late twentieth century
Further Comments: Hospital radio staff based at the centre have often heard a choir singing, footsteps running across the loft, and a voice that seems to call out the listener's name.