The Paranormal Database

Magic Bell

Location: Rhayader (Powys) - Castle (no longer standing)
Type: Other
Date / Time: Twelfth century
Further Comments: A knight being held captive in the castle was given a magic bell and told its power would break down the wall of his cell. The knight rang the bell but the wall remained intact, much to the amusement of the prison wardens. Soon after, the castle was struck by lightning, destroying everything other than a wall upon which the magic bell hang.

Grey Shadowy Girl

Location: Rodmell (Sussex) - Abergavenny Arms public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1990s
Further Comments: Appearing in front of the fireplace and in the men's toilet, this fleeting female form is also blamed for ringing the 'last orders' bells in the early hours of the morning.

Sunk Church

Location: Romford (Essex) - Old Church Road
Type: Legend
Date / Time: 30 November (St Andrew's Day (reoccurring))
Further Comments: After the church sank into the ground, the only 'evidence' of its existence is the phantom ringing of the bells.

Rostherne Mere's mermaid.

Mermaid

Location: Rostherne Mere (Cheshire) - General area
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: Easter Sunday (reoccurring)
Further Comments: Her reasons unknown, this mermaid returns once a year to ring a bell hidden deep underwater and sing.

Sweeping Brush

Location: Rugeley (Staffordshire) - Bush Drive
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: A yard brush swept a path without human help and a lawnmower rolled uphill at this residence. Other more 'normal' poltergeist occurrences included the ringing of doorbells and self-opening and closing doors. Some attributed the paranormal happenings to the ghosts of three people killed in an aircraft crash that occurred in 1938 on the corner of Fortescue Lane and Green Lane.

A Knock and a Ring

Location: Seaton (Cumbria) - Camerton Church
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1970s
Further Comments: Mr H T Graham was dared to knock on the door of this empty church late one night - the moment he did so, the bells began to toll.

The Adur Civic Centre in Shoreham.

Caretaker wearing Green Overalls

Location: Shoreham (Sussex) - Adur Civic Centre, Ham Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The haunting here is reportedly caused by a former caretaker electrocuted onsite. He has been seen on the upper floor of the building and is also held accountable for the pealing of a bell that is heard around dinner time.

Lost Bell

Location: Shrewsbury (Shropshire) - Bomere Pool
Type: Legend
Date / Time: 24 December (reoccurring)
Further Comments: Several stories surround this pool. In one, a village once stood here, but the villagers mocked God, He sent forth a storm that flooded the area. The church bell can now be heard peeling once a year. Another story says the pool is home to a massive fish - it was caught only once, but escaped, taking the sword of the fisherman (or knight) with him. He now uses the sword to cut any net which falls near him. The final story says the pool is bottomless, and that when any attempt to drain the pool is made, the waters always return overnight.

Runner

Location: Sible Hedingham (Essex) - The White Horse
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late twentieth century
Further Comments: An invisible being has brushed past several staff and customers of this public house. The entity has also disturbed people by running down corridors and ringing the front bell.

Former Occupants?

Location: Southport (Merseyside) - Unnamed nursing home
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2000s
Further Comments: There are many spooky stories told by past and present staff; the empty lift moves between floors at night, many reports of phantom figures exist, and sounds of footsteps are heard along deserted corridors. The bells for the call system have also gone off in empty rooms.

Raleigh

Location: Southwell (Nottinghamshire) - Road between Southwell and Oxton
Type: Legend
Date / Time: 25 December (reoccurring)
Further Comments: Beneath a small valley located between these two places is the lost town of Raleigh, swallowed up by an earthquake in 1185. A local legend says the church bells can sometimes still be heard on Christmas Day.

The Toll

Location: St Annes on Sea (Lancashire) - Off Coast
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The ringing of church bells from a church taken by the sea many years ago can be heard prior to a storm.

Chef

Location: St Blazey (Cornwall) - Cornish Arms public house
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 2006
Further Comments: The poltergeist found in this establishment enjoys ringing a bell in the kitchen which then sounds a different tone. The bottoms of female staff are pinched by an unseen hand and voices have also been heard in an empty bar. A clairvoyant identified the entity as a former chef.

Stolen Bell

Location: St David's (Dyfed) - Cathedral and Whitesand Bay
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Weather Dependent: Before stormy weather
Further Comments: The largest bell was stolen from the building by imps disguised as men and transported out to sea where it was dropped into the Whitesand Bay. The bell still rings just before a storm, as a warning to nearby fishermen to return home. Another version of the tale says the bell was rested on several rocks during the heist, and it is the rocks that now ring before the weather changes.

Ringing Rock

Location: St Govan's Head (Dyfed) - St Govan's Chapel (and surrounding area)
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: When the church bell was stolen and dropped into the sea, it was recovered by supernatural means and concealed within solid rock. When the rock is tapped, the ringing of the bell can be heard. Some have speculated St Govan was in fact Sir Gawain, who became a hermit after Arthur's death. Another legend says anyone who tries counting the steps which lead to the Chapel will reach varying totals depending on whether they ascend or descend. Finally, the chapel was home to an expanding, hollow stone that would change shape and size depending on who attempted to climb inside. Once inside, a wish would be granted.

An old postcard showing St Helier on Jersey.

Bells

Location: St Helier (Jersey) - Off the Coast, heading towards Minquiers
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: It is said that in 1551 all the church bells in Jersey were removed and shipped to France. Unfortunately, they did not make it; the vessel carrying the bells sank shortly after departing. It is now said that anyone who hears the bells while out at sea will not be returning to land.

Returning Bell

Location: St Illtyd (Gwent) - St Illtyd Church
Type: Other
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: In the forgotten past, an English king was said to have taken the bell from this church. He died soon after, but wished the bell returned from the original location. The horse carrying the bell immediately set off back to St Illtyd without human intervention, the bell's rings summoning other horses to aid in the quest. Once the horse reached the church, the bell fell from the horse's neck, breaking a stone which, it was said, remained in the churchyard for many years as a reminder that the miracle had really occurred.

St Ives Head, Cornwall.

Neptune

Location: St Ives (Cornwall) - St Ives Head
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This old ship has been reported off the coast many times. It is also believed that before the Neptune sunk here, the area was haunted by another unnamed ghost ship. Phantom bells have also been reported coming from the deep waters.

End of the World

Location: St Levan (Cornwall) - St Levan's Stone, in village churchyard
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Still present
Further Comments: St Levan hit this rock with his bare hands and broke it in two large pieces. He declared that when the gap grew big enough to let a horse through, the world would come to an end. In another part of the graveyard, one can find the tombstone of Captain Wetherel, who can be heard ringing his ship's bell from within his coffin.

Cat Lover

Location: Stanbury (Yorkshire) - The Old Silent Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The rear of this public house is reportedly frequented by a spectral old lady who fed all the local stray cats. The ringing of phantom bells has been heard coming from nearby moorland.

Ringing Bells

Location: SW1 (Greater London) - 9 Earl Street, Westminster
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 1820s
Further Comments: Over a two and a half hour period, every bell in the house constantly rang out. The strange activity ended as suddenly as it had begun.

Ringing Bells

Location: SW9 (Greater London) - Gresham Arms Hotel (no longer open)
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 1900
Further Comments: A spiritualist told the occupants of this hotel that the reason bells would ring unaided by human hand was that a spirit had taken up residence there, unable to leave having dropped dead at the bar.

A fairy kingdom build from human ruins.

Maiden

Location: Swansea (West Glamorgan) - Crumlyn Lake (aka Llyn Crymlyn), now Crymlyn Bog
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A fairy maiden lived in the waters of this lake. A story also claimed a large town once stood here but it was swallowed by the lake (after the locals insulted Saint Patrick) and then used by the fairies to construct their kingdom. A slight variation says the fairies were once the townsfolk before they were submerged. Bells could occasionally be heard coming from the water.

Silver Bell

Location: Tintagel (Cornwall) - Nathan's Keeve (pool of water and waterfall two miles south of Tintagel, name may have changed since report)
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Story circa mid nineteenth century
Further Comments: A silver bell was briefly found in this pool, but as one man blasphemed, the bell fell back in and could not be recovered.

Even witches love pancakes.

Witch

Location: Toddington (Bedfordshire) - Conger Hill
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Shrove Tuesday (reoccurring)
Further Comments: The church bell is rung between 11:00h and 11:15h every Shrove Tuesday. During this time, if one places their ear to the ground on Conger Hill, a witch can be heard boiling her cauldron and preparing her pancakes.