The Paranormal Database

Thirsty Carving

Location: Braintree (Essex) - Six Bells public house (no longer operational)
Type: Legend
Date / Time: 1970s
Further Comments: When this location was a pub, it housed a carved wooden figure which was said to have been found in a local river. At midnight, the figure would go back to the river for a quick drink.

Peter

Location: Brentwood (Essex) - Fountain Head public house, Ingrave Road
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 1969
Further Comments: Several bottles exploded on their own accord, and several pieces of furniture were rearranged by an invisible presence. Police investigated footsteps that could be heard upstairs, but discovered the area empty. A medium claimed the ghost to be Peter Andover, stabbed to death while attempting to rape the landlord's daughter.

Lady Howard

Location: Bridestone (Devon) - Royal Oak public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A coach carrying Lady Howard has been spotted just outside the public house, though it is more likely to just be heard by those nearby.

Walter

Location: Bridgnorth (Shropshire) - Boycott Arms public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Walter is said to be the ghost of a former landlord who now haunts the pub.

Black Lady

Location: Bridgnorth (Shropshire) - Magpie House Restaurant (now Bassa Villa public house)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This phantom's children were drowned in the cellar of Magpie House when the River Severn broke its banks. The woman in black has been observed moving around the building and is sometimes heard crying.

Footfalls

Location: Bridgwater (Somerset) - Rose and Crown public house (no longer operational)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twenty-first century
Further Comments: Unexplained footsteps are often heard all over the pub, even after closing hours when all occupiers are accounted for.

Sobbing Woman

Location: Bridport (Dorset) - Hope and Anchor public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A phantom woman is said to sob in this public house.

Maggie

Location: Brighstone (Isle of Wight) - Three Bishops public house (was New Inn)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A former owner of the inn, Maggie is said to wander the site muttering under her breath and unlocking doors. Another story says she also stands by beds and slowly fades away.

Mother

Location: Brighton (Sussex) - Bedford Tavern
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The inn is reputedly haunted by a woman who died in the cellar where she was locked up by her abusive husband, or after childbirth, or both, or neither.

The Black Lion pub in Brighton.

Deryck Carver

Location: Brighton (Sussex) - Black Lion public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1940s onwards
Further Comments: Deryck Carver was burnt in a barrel of Tar in 1555 and is believed to have been the first brewer in Brighton and the first Protestant martyr in England to be put to death. Since the 1940s it has been claimed his ghost haunts the cellar, and in 2006 the manager of the building claimed to have felt an unnerving presence in that area on several occasions. A builder in the upper part of the building spotted a shadowy figure in 1995.

The Brighton Rocks pub, formally known as the Battle of Waterloo.

Coach Driver

Location: Brighton (Sussex) - Brighton Rocks public house (formerly Battle of Waterloo), Rock Place
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1996, 2000s
Further Comments: This figure, complete with cloak, was seen in the 1990s drifting around the front door and the gentlemen's toilets. He was said to be the driver of a local mayor who was murdered by a highwayman shortly after leaving the pub. More recently, cupboards held shut by bricks have flung themselves open, heavy filing cabinets have fallen over, and a dog is either terrified of nothing or plays with something invisible.

The Caroline of Brunswick pub in Brighton.

Name Calling

Location: Brighton (Sussex) - Caroline Of Brunswick public house, Ditchling Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twenty-first century
Further Comments: An unknown phantom in this pub reputedly calls out to staff using their first name.

Brighton's Horse and Groom pub.

Fred

Location: Brighton (Sussex) - Horse and Groom public house, Islingword Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1990s
Further Comments: A former customer, the ghost of Fred was said to take up residence in his favourite chair. A glass of beer was also seen to move unaided across a shelf before falling on the floor.

The King & Queen Pub in Brighton.

Shouting

Location: Brighton (Sussex) - King & Queen Public House, Marlborough Place
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1980s-2000s
Further Comments: Windows have been known to open themselves and shouting has been heard coming from an empty bar.

Scratches

Location: Brighton (Sussex) - Lord Nelson public house, Trafalgar Street
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: October 2015
Further Comments: Glasses are said to have been seen flying off shelves, while one customer developed red scratches on his arm. A previous landlord had had the pub exorcised.

The Mariner pub, in Brighton.

Moving Crates

Location: Brighton (Sussex) - Mariner public house
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 2000s
Further Comments: The sound of beer crates being kicked in the cellar has been reported, while the doors leading down to the level open and close unaided.

The Brighton pub and theatre Marlborough Tavern.

Pale Woman

Location: Brighton (Sussex) - Marlborough Tavern (theatre), Princes Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2007
Further Comments: The phantom woman observed in this tavern is thought to be the murdered wife of a former landlord - he tried to kill her by pushing the woman down the stairs, and when that failed, left her in the cellar mortally wounded. When last seen, the woman was floating across the stage area.

The Mash Tun pub in Brighton.

Martha

Location: Brighton (Sussex) - Mash Tun public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Early twentieth century onwards
Further Comments: This pub is said to be haunted by the landlady who managed the site during the First World War. Her footsteps have been reported from the building, and a former landlord watched several articles of clothing being thrown down the staircase by an unseen force. Glasses have been observed moving across a table and falling to the floor.

Ali Cats public house, Brighton.

Groaning

Location: Brighton (Sussex) - Ali Cats public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2000s
Further Comments: During refurbishment work in this pub, workmen were said to have heard strange human groans and encountered unexplained cold spots.

Aquarium public house, Brighton.

Known by Name

Location: Brighton (Sussex) - Aquarium Public House
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: An unknown voice is said to call out to staff and customers using their first names.

Bat and Ball pub, Brighton (photograph supplied).

Barefooted Woman

Location: Brighton (Sussex) - Bat & Ball public house, Ditchling Road
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: 1990s
Further Comments: A witness cashing up at the end of the night watched a barefooted woman wearing a nightdress appear and start to dance. The figure passed through the bar and vanished when reaching the corner of the room. This dancing woman may or may not be the same as the phantom grey haired, middle aged woman who is said to vanish into thin air here.

Bath Arms pub, Brighton.

Victorian Man

Location: Brighton (Sussex) - Bath Arms public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Victorian man in 1990s
Further Comments: This phantom is said to be a middle aged Victorian man seen standing by a pillar. Another phantom reported to haunt the site wears a tricorn hat.

The Franklin Tavern in Brighton.

Shadow

Location: Brighton (Sussex) - Franklin Tavern, Lewes Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1990s
Further Comments: A former barmaid claimed to have seen a shadowy figure on three different occasions behind the bar while working here. Whether this sighting relates to the rumour the site is haunted by a former owner and his wife is unknown.

Brighton's George Beard pub.

Female Jailor

Location: Brighton (Sussex) - George Beard public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This woman has been seen on the steps leading down to the cellar, though locals say she has not recently appeared.

Stroking

Location: Brighton (Sussex) - Green Yard public house, Black Lion Street
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Late twentieth century?
Further Comments: A former nineteenth century animal pound, this pub is now said to experience items which fall from shelves without reason, lights which switch off unaided, and invisible hands which stroked the forehead of a female customer.