Jake

Location: Aberdeen (Aberdeenshire) - His Majesty's Theatre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Pre 1982, and 2006
Further Comments: A former stagehand who lost his head in an accident at the theatre prior to the Second World War, Jake disappeared after building work was completed in 1982. However, when renovation work started again, contractors began to report the sound of someone in high heels walking around empty areas of the theatre.

Chilly Room

Location: Accrington (Lancashire) - Spinning Jenny Club, theatre lounge (no longer standing)
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Visitors to the building would feel freezing air when entering the room, even when the temperature outside rocketed. Lights would also turn themselves off at the most inopportune moments.

Edna

Location: Arnold (Nottinghamshire) - Bonington Theatre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Once the theatre is locked up for the night, the sounds of footsteps can be heard within. Lights have also been switched on and cold spots reported. A rumour says that the building was erected on a Quaker burial site, and that the ghost, nicknamed Edna, is one of the former occupants.

Ernie

Location: Ashton under Lyne (Lancashire) - Tameside Theatre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1978
Further Comments: Jack Douglas of Carry On film fame reported seeing this male ghost several times, standing above him in the upper circle and slowly melting away when approached.

Vanishing Props

Location: Averham (Nottinghamshire) - Robin Hood Theatre
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Late twentieth century
Further Comments: A touring group reported that their props vanished and furniture was moved around by an unseen hand. After they finished their production, the team turned all the building's lights off and locked up, only to find that all the lights had turned themselves back on as they reached the car park.

Robert

Location: Bacup (Lancashire) - Royal Court Theatre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 12 April 2008
Further Comments: A full investigation of this theatre was carried out by the Paranormal Activity Research Team of Lancashire. Numerous entities were detected by the team, including a woman named Kitty and a man named Jackson by the Circles seating area, a doctor-like figure in reception, and other presences throughout the building.

Former Performer

Location: Basingstoke (Hampshire) - Haymarket Theatre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The Haymarket is said to be haunted by several ghosts of old performers, though no one can say who, why or when.

Banging

Location: Bath (Somerset) - Little Theatre Cinema
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2017
Further Comments: Paranormal investigators were called to this theatre after strange bangs and other unexplained sounds were heard around the site.

Grey Lady

Location: Bath (Somerset) - Theatre Royal & Garrick's Head Hotel
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Butterfly seen 25 December (reoccurring), Grey Lady last seen 1975
Further Comments: An actress from the 1880's, this lady killed herself in the hotel when she discovered her husband had murdered her secret lover. Her last performance at the theatre was the night of her death, and there she wore a grey feather dress - the same clothing she still wears. A butterfly is also reported to haunt the theatre, manifesting briefly once a year.

Leon Salberg

Location: Birmingham (West Midlands) - Alexandra Theatre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: Having managed the theatre for over twenty five years, Leon died within the building, and is thought to still walk here. The ghost of an unknown woman has also been spotted.

Moving Props

Location: Blackpool (Lancashire) - Grand Theatre
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 2000s
Further Comments: Strange sounds and light poltergeist activity have been reported from this theatre.

Vida Swift

Location: Bolton (Lancashire) - Octagon Theatre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Post 1968
Further Comments: Dying while carrying out the role of wardrobe mistress, Vida has been seen walking around the corridors and frequenting the stage control box.

Emily

Location: Bournemouth (Dorset) - Pavilion Theatre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2000s
Further Comments: The phantom named Emily was thought to be an actress who died in the 1930s. She was blamed for the disembodied footsteps which could be heard on the empty stage, and the occasional poltergeist-like outburst which involved items being thrown around. One member of staff was even said to have been chased along a corridor by the entity. A newspaper article written in 2007 and just prior to the theatre being renovated claimed that the building work may silence Emily, the implication that she was little more than squeaky floorboards and vivid imagination.

People

Location: Bournemouth (Dorset) - Shelley Theatre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The haunting here appears to be restricted to stories of ghostly people walking down corridors.

Sir Henry Irving

Location: Bradford (Yorkshire) - Theatre Royal
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: The location he last played before dying, Irving is still said to walk the floor at the theatre.

Emily Coalthorpe

Location: Brighton (Sussex) - Nightingale Theatre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Fourteen year old Emily died here in the late nineteenth century when this building was an hotel. Her ghost is supposed to haunt a staircase.

Grey Smoke

Location: Brighton (Sussex) - Gardner Arts Centre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1979
Further Comments: A grey mist accompanied by clanking and a drop in temperature was reportedly seen on stage by cleaning staff at this theatre.

Vesta Tilley

Location: Brighton (Sussex) - Hippodrome Theatre, Middle Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Said to wear a long black dress (and occasionally a grey one), the ghost of Tilley haunts the area which was once the theatre's bar.

Sarah Bernhardt

Location: Brighton (Sussex) - Theatre Royal
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: August 1982
Further Comments: This nineteenth century French actress has a habit of walking down corridors, pushing people out of the way if they step in front of her. The wall into which she disappears is reportedly a bricked up doorway where her dressing room once stood. The site is also reputed to be haunted by a doorman and the former owner Ellen Nye, who manifests as a grey lady.

Sarah Siddons

Location: Bristol (Somerset) - Old Vic theatre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2010
Further Comments: Sarah's boyfriend hanged himself at this theatre, and her ghost is thought to continue to mourn the loss here. Architect Andrzej Blonski reported seeing Sarah's ghost, wearing a long, white crinoline dress, in 2010. Another member of staff reported hearing a female voice telling him to 'get out'. The other spook at home here is that of a scenic painter called Richard who died in an accident while working. Richard continues to move the props around.

John Slater

Location: Brixton (Devon) - Bolton Cross Theatre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late twentieth century
Further Comments: One of the last places he acted before his death, his shade has been seen wearing the costume of his final show.

Figure in White

Location: Canterbury (Kent) - Marlowe Theatre (original theatre demolished in 1982)
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: 1967
Further Comments: This ghostly figure was seen loitering on the right hand side of the stage during a performance. Please note that the image is of the newer Marlow; the one in which the ghost was encountered was demolished in 1982.

Figures

Location: Carmarthen (Dyfed) - Lyric Theatre, King Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1940s onwards?
Further Comments: Several figures, both male and female, are reported to haunt this building. One former member of staff claimed that the phantoms have been making themselves known since the 1940s, while in 1996 a tall man in a suit was spotted in the projection room.

Humphrey

Location: Chatham (Kent) - Theatre Royal
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: The ghostly Humphrey would sit and watch shows in the mid twentieth century - if he liked it, he would stay, otherwise walk out. Other shades remain in the building - a woman in a long evening dress has been seen and possibly heard, and mild poltergeist activity reported.

Janitor

Location: Cheltenham (Gloucestershire) - Playhouse Theatre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2000s
Further Comments: A number of entities are said to haunt this theatre, including a former janitor, a young girl, and an older couple who sit in the auditorium. A photograph taken in 2011 appears to show a small figure sitting on the balcony.