Isle of Wight Ghosts, Folklore and Forteana
Young Woman
Location: Newport - Wheatsheaf Hotel
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: A phantom young woman was observed by one guest sitting on his bed in a room on the first floor.
Misty Figure
Location: Newport - Whitecroft Hospital (no longer operational)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: October 1984, between 21:00h - 22:30h (misty figure), other entity unknown
Further Comments: One inpatient awoke to see a misty white figure at the foot of their bed, while another report says two other witnesses, at separate times, encountered a male figure with no eyes.
King Charles?
Location: Newport - Youth Centre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The room where this king once stayed is reported to experience cold spots and the sound of footsteps.
Pied Piper of Newtown
Location: Newtown - General area
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Fourteenth century
Further Comments: A legend says that a piper used a tune to clear the area of rats; when the musician was not paid his dues, he piped another tune and all the children followed him away from the town. None were ever seen again.
Fireplace Figure
Location: Niton - Buddle Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: One account has an entity manifest in the fireplace and cross the dining room. Other ghosts which have taken up residence here include a smuggler, customs officer and a couple of sailors in old fashioned kit.
Dreams Can Come True
Location: Niton - Wishing Seat
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Still present
Further Comments: A seat along a coastal pathway is said to grand wishes by just sitting on it.
Torso
Location: Nodes Point - Holiday Park
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 26 August 2007, 23:35h
Further Comments: A husband and wife watched a darkly dressed, semi-solid torso float past them as they sat outside their tent. Other people they were with at the time did not see the apparition. The entity vanished into the shadow of their friend's tent.
Sitting Prisoner
Location: Parkhurst - Parkhurst Prison (known now as HMP Isle of Wight), unstated cell in A Wing
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1990s
Further Comments: A prisoner who committed suicide in the jail reportedly returned to his cell after death and was seen with his legs dangling over the edge of his former bunk. Newspapers reported that the shade caused other inmates to demand relocation to other cells. Another entity nicknamed the 'Beast of Parkhurst Prison' is rumoured to be half man and half bat and lurks on the rooftops, feeding off pigeons.
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Location: Quarr Hill - Quarr Abbey
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The wife of Henry II is reported to haunt these ruins, appearing as if she regretted plotting against her husband. However, there is no evidence that Eleanor of Aquitaine visited the area in her lifetime.
Dancing Woman
Location: Ryde - Royal Victoria Yacht Club
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Wearing a white gown, a phantom woman is said to dance alone in the ballroom. Other entities reputed to haunt the side include another woman who is fond of men, a woman in a black dress spotted on the staircase, a couple of children, three drinkers at the bar, and finally the friendly entity known only as Albert.
Joker
Location: Ryde - Ryde Castle Hotel
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The poltergeist here is said to have a good sense of humour.
Sounds of Dragging
Location: Ryde - Solent Inn, Monkton Steer
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: Phantom voices, footsteps, and the sound of heavy items being dragged across rooms have all been reported coming from this public house.
Old Lady
Location: Sandown - Sandown Pier
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 03 December 2011
Further Comments: A witness reported photographing an old lady on this pier who was not there at the time the image was captured. The theatre on the pier was said to be haunted by a laughing man.
Snared Cat
Location: Sandown - Yaverland Manor
Type: ABC
Date / Time: 1987
Further Comments: A medium sized wild cat was caught and killed near the manor house, and later identified as a leopard cat.
Mill Worker
Location: Shalfleet - New Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: As well as the normal pub polt activity, the inn is haunted by a worker who died in an accident at the nearby mill.
Girl in Blue
Location: Shanklin - Chine Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Two ghosts are reputed to haunt this site - an older man and a young girl in blue. The inn is also said to have a secret tunnel leading to the nearby Vernon Cottage, once used by smugglers.
Frances
Location: Shanklin - Vernon Cottage
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twenty-first century
Further Comments: Frances died after falling down the staircase and is now said to haunt this property. She reputedly leaves five pence pieces around the site to indicate she approves of behaviour.
Woman in Black
Location: Shorwell - Crown Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: February 2019
Further Comments: A female entity reputedly haunts the dining area, while a male ghost lurks in the attic. In 2019 a reviewer on the TripAdvisor website claimed their dad had spoken to an old woman dressed in black who vanished without trace.
Chest of Gold
Location: Shorwell - Elm tree in an unnamed wood near the area
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Protected by a magical black bird, the chest can only be pulled from the ground by a dozen white oxen.
Musician
Location: Shorwell - Wolverton Manor
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: At one time this building was said to be haunted by a musician who could be heard performing. The entity was said to dislike workmen and other strangers.
Fairy Feast
Location: St Catherine's Point - Puckaster Cove
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The little people were once seen eating and having a party at this site.
Princess Cicely
Location: Standen - Great East Standen Lodge
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: Never seen, but her presence is announced at night when her invisible form is felt sitting on the end of a bed.
Smuggler
Location: Totland - Highdown Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The shadowy form of a smuggler is reputed to haunt this inn.
Searchlight
Location: Totland - The Needles Old Battery
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A former searchlight tower is said to still beam down a beam of light, even though no light source is contained within. The phantom sounds of a small group of men running down a corridor have also been heard.
Vectis Monster
Location: Unknown - Unknown
Type: ABC
Date / Time: 6 January 1940
Further Comments: An early ABC report from the UK, this creature was said to have a head of a lion, though the body resembled a dog. Deaths were reported in the local livestock population.
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