The Paranormal Database

Theatre Royal, Brighton.

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.

Blithe Ghost

Location: Broadstairs (Kent) - Playhouse, (theatre demolished in 1980s) Westcliff Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1947
Further Comments: Two of the Blithe Spirit cast reported hearing footsteps outside their door in the upper part of the building, but no person could be found. A former actor told the local press the site was jinxed, and she had been pushed on the staircase by an unseen force. Whispers could be heard from behind the stage during performances, but like the source of the footsteps, no guilty party could be discovered.

Grey Lady

Location: Bury St Edmunds (Suffolk) - Theatre Royal
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The theatre is home to the Grey Lady, who may be the same entity seen in various other places over the town. Disembodied footsteps and the sounds of a piano have also been heard in empty parts of the building.

Sounds

Location: Buxton (Derbyshire) - Opera House
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2020s
Further Comments: The theatre is supposed to be haunted, with strange sounds unnerving staff after the building has closed for the evening.

Stagehand

Location: Canterbury (Kent) - Gulbenkian Theatre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2011
Further Comments: This phantom presence is said to be a stagehand wearing black clothing. While only being seen once, the figure is more likely to be heard climbing ladders.

The new Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury.

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 could be 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.

New Theatre, Cardiff.

Older Woman

Location: Cardiff (South Glamorgan) - New Theatre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: An older woman is reputed to haunt this theatre. Her ghost manifests in one of the boxes where she is said to have either dropped dead in or fallen from (depending on the version of the story you are told). Staff and visitors have also reported cold spots and the sensation of being watched.

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 (no longer operational)
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 the performance he would stay, otherwise he would walk out. Humphrey would also lower seating just before someone sat down. Other shades remain in the building - a woman in a long evening dress has been seen and possibly heard, and mild poltergeist activity reported.

Tech Support

Location: Chelmsford (Essex) - Civic Theatre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: All year, but especially in December (reoccurring)
Further Comments: This building is haunted by the spirit of a technician killed on Duke Street. Visitors would sometimes ask about the helpful man who had guided them around, only to be told that it was the ghost. There are also reports of footsteps on stage and of an overwhelming uncomfortable feeling on the Balcony and the stairs to the Wardrobe/FOH Office. In December, the spirit takes the form of a white butterfly, seen (traditionally) on one show during Christmas week.

Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham.

Man in 1940s Suit

Location: Cheltenham (Gloucestershire) - Everyman Theatre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2011
Further Comments: Walter Charnock, a builder working on the renovation of the theatre, encountered a figure wearing a 1940s suit leaning on a banister. Within thirty seconds, the figure vanished. Music is also said to be heard within the building when none should be playing.

Janitor

Location: Cheltenham (Gloucestershire) - Playhouse Theatre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2000s
Further Comments: Several 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.

Grey Lady

Location: Chesterfield (Derbyshire) - Pomegranate Theatre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The strange movement of objects by no human hand is attributed to a grey lady who is occasionally spotted. Another phantom thought to be George Stevenson has been seen walking across the stage and taking a seat.

Fred the Technician

Location: Chorley (Lancashire) - Little Theatre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2010s
Further Comments: Fred is one of several entities said to haunt the site, other others being a shadowy figure seen on stage, a man wearing a trilby, a Victorian woman with a child, and an actress.

Regent Centre, Christchurch.

Watchers

Location: Christchurch (Dorset) - Regent Centre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1980s
Further Comments: A couple of ghosts were said to sit in the stalls and watch the stage.

Stanley Ravenscroft

Location: Colwyn Bay (Clwyd) - Theatre Colwyn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Ravenscroft, a former manager at the theatre, is held accountable when items are moved by an unseen hand or footsteps are heard in empty parts of the building.

Harry

Location: Cowes (Isle of Wight) - Anchor public house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This lad hanged himself in the stables. Now a bar, his ghost still puts in an occasional appearance.

Henry

Location: Cowes (Isle of Wight) - Northwood House
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A local smuggler, Henry is blamed for the sounds of barrels being rolled around the basement of this building.

Louis Philippe

Location: Cowes (Isle of Wight) - Sir Max Aitken Museum, The Prospect
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: King Louis Philippe of France stayed at The Prospect after fleeing France. His ghost occasionally appears during parties on the site.

Children

Location: Cowes (Isle of Wight) - Tree in Northwood Park
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: Thought to be the ghosts of young boys who died of Spanish Flu in 1918, the ghosts of these lads remain in better days, playing around and climbing a large tree. The park is also said to be home to a phantom nun.

Bloody Footprints

Location: Cowes (Isle of Wight) - Trinity Theatre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1940s onwards?
Further Comments: The red footprints that are said to appear along the floor of the auditorium could be those of a person who died during the Blitz. Mild poltergeist activity is also reported at the theatre.

Footsteps

Location: Cowes (Isle of Wight) - Union Inn
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A bearded man and a former fisherman's wife are believed to haunt this inn. Footsteps could once be heard climbing and descending the staircase every night, though it is unclear when this phenomenon ceased for good.

Ursula

Location: Cowes (Isle of Wight) - Various buildings along Shooters Hill
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late twentieth century
Further Comments: Taking the form of a young, blonde haired girl in Victorian attire, this ghost has been known to move items from building to building.