The Paranormal Database

Paths in Dunwich, Suffolk.

Hobby Lanterns

Location: Dunwich - Paths around Dunwich
Type: Other
Date / Time: Pre-1924, said to be most active between 29 September and 24 December
Further Comments: Will-o-the-Wisps, known locally as Hobby Lanterns, were said to lure people off the paths at night after extinguishing the victim's own light source.

Greyfriars ruins, Dunwich.

Franciscan Monks

Location: Dunwich - Ruins of Greyfriars
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Monks unknown, shuck in 1926
Further Comments: The monks walk the ruins on the Dunwich coastline, a reminder of the loss of the many churches that have been taken by sea erosion since the twelfth century. Disembodied children's laughter has also been heard on the beach, too late at night to belong to mortal youngsters. Finally, a large phantom dog was seen around the ruins in 1926.

Former leper colony, Dunwich.

Malformed Shadows

Location: Dunwich - Ruins of the Leper colony in the graveyard
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The former leper hospital, now ruins in the churchyard, is said to be home to strangely shaped shadows.

The coastline of Dunwich, Suffolk.

Church Bells

Location: Dunwich - Sea
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Once a busy port town, sea erosion has reduced this location to only a few dozen houses. The church that once stood on the cliffs has been washed out to sea, and it is said the bells still ring on still moonless nights. Divers exploring the ruins of the old town that once stood on the cliffs have often reported a strange feeling that they are not alone under the sea.

Heartbroken Man

Location: Dunwich - Woodland in the area
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Helena Walk sighting 18 November 2011, big cat sighting 1998
Further Comments: The brother of the lord of the manor fell in love with a serving girl who worked at Grey Friars. Prevented from ever seeing her again, the man died of a broken heart; his phantom now walks through the woodland paths. A couple walking along the Helena's Walk Trail in 2011 spotted a pair of disembodied legs following them a short distance behind. The legs were covered by dark trousers and boots and vanished behind a tree. Unrelated to the ghostly encounter, Big Cats of Suffolk reported that a couple walking through the woods heard the sounds of a big cat and took a photograph of a large paw print.

Black Clothed Man

Location: Dunwich - Work site along the cliff
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: 15 January 2022, 07:15h
Further Comments: A man in black wearing a hood, spotted while a witness parked a work van, moved behind a static lodge caravan close to the wedge of the cliffs and vanished. An immediate search of the area began and lasted for thirty minutes but no person could be found.

The bell house at East Bergholt church, Suffolk.

Missing Steeple

Location: East Bergholt - Church
Type: Legend - Old Nick
Date / Time: Bell house still stands
Further Comments: Night after night, during the construction of the church, the Devil appeared and pulled down the steeple. The builders finally gave up building the tower, and the bells now stand in a little bell house.

Old Friary, East Bergholt.

Wispy Figures

Location: East Bergholt - Old Friary (now Old Hall)
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: Mid twentieth century
Further Comments: Used during the Second World War as a barracks, the soldiers reported doors that would open and close themselves. One 18 year old awoke to find a ghostly figure trying to strangle him - within 24 hours the soldier's hair had turned from jet black to white.

The Hare and Hounds Inn, East Bergholt.

Fred

Location: East Bergholt - The Hare and Hounds Inn
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: Little is known about the history of this public house ghost, other than its nickname of 'Fred' and its habit of slamming doors.

A dark lane leading to the ruined chapel in East Bridge, Suffolk.

White Woman with Pointed Head

Location: East Bridge - Road towards ruined chapel
Type: Post-Mortem Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Observed by a group of bird watchers, a woman in white was seen drifting down an old trail that leads to the ruins of a chapel. It is unclear if her 'pointed head' was a hat or bonnet.

Pale Ape?

Location: Elveden - A134
Type: Cryptozoology
Date / Time: 19 May 2011
Further Comments: A lorry driver reported seeing a hairy, light grey creature on all fours moving through grass around ninety metres away. The driver could see the creature had forward facing eyes, a long snout, and upright ears. The creature then stood on its hind legs and approached the driver, moving like an ape, before dropping once again to all fours and running off, peering over its shoulder as it left.

Big Cats

Location: Elveden - General area
Type: ABC
Date / Time: April 1985
Further Comments: Elveden residents reported several sightings of a large cat or cats during this month.

Cell Bell

Location: Eye - Police station
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1976 onwards
Further Comments: It was reported that the cell bell would ring when the cell was empty. In other empty areas of the building, a typewriter and moving chairs would be heard. There was no pattern to the frequency of the sounds, which could be heard day or night by individuals or groups of staff.

Eyke's village sign.

Football Shaped Object

Location: Eyke - Skies over Eyke
Type: UFO
Date / Time: 1980s
Further Comments: Just down the road from the famous Bentwaters UFO incident, several villagers have reported other strange craft in the skies above the area.

White Woman's Lane, Eyke.

Female Forms

Location: Eyke - White Woman's Lane
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This road in the village was reportedly named after the shade that haunted it. A house along the road that was particularly haunted was destroyed during the twentieth century, though its orchard remains. Another theory is that the lane was named after the women who worked in the flour mill, who would return home covered in white dust, while others say the lane takes the name from a white witch who resided along it.

Large Cats

Location: Eyke - General area
Type: ABC
Date / Time: 2003
Further Comments: The Big Cats of Suffolk website reported two large cats were reported in the village in 2003, one a large sandy coloured cat, the other black in colour.

Clothes Thrower

Location: Farthing Drove - Plantation
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 1949
Further Comments: An unseen spirit at this site was blamed for spoiling milk and removing garments from washing lines. An exorcist was called in to deal with the problem.

Off the coast of Old Felixstowe.

Bells

Location: Felixstowe - Coast off Old Felixstowe
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Circa nineteenth century
Further Comments: It was believed that the bells from sunken churches could be heard ringing off the coast here.

The Felixstowe coast, Suffolk.

Black Dog

Location: Felixstowe - Coastline
Type: Shuck
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This port town is rumoured to be patrolled by the black shuck, though there are no dated reports of the entity being seen here.

Hitchhiker

Location: Felixstowe - Crossroads controlled by lights
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: For several days, a car driver found himself giving a lift to a Second World War pilot, who would suddenly appear in the back seat of his car when he reached a certain point of his journey. This stopped once the driver started taking a different route.

Brown ABC

Location: Felixstowe - Exact area unknown
Type: ABC
Date / Time: 1996
Further Comments: Part of a rash of sightings of ABCs in and around the Ipswich area during 1996. The creature was nicknamed 'Paws' by local media.

Landguard Fort, Felixstowe, Suffolk.

Horses Crossing Drawbridge that No Longer Exists

Location: Felixstowe - Landguard Fort
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A ghostly coach being pulled by a team of horses is said to cross a ditch next to the fort, where once a drawbridge lay. The fort is also the site of an alleged suicide which is now re-enacted; the ghostly white figure is still seen dangling from the roof beams where he hanged himself.

Off the coast of Felixstowe.

Black Shape

Location: Felixstowe - Off Coast
Type: UFO
Date / Time: September 2006
Further Comments: A group of eight people watched a perfectly round, dark object silently traverse the sky. No lights were visible from the object. A strange fiery UFO has also been spotted off the coast, though the date of this sighting is unknown.

Young Girl

Location: Felixstowe - Railway track
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The track running into Felixstowe is reputedly haunted by a young girl struck down by a train.

The sky northwards of Old Felixstowe.

Orange Orbs

Location: Felixstowe - Skies northwards at Old Felixstowe
Type: UFO
Date / Time: 01 July 2006
Further Comments: On a very hot summer evening two orange orbs were seen falling from the sky. Moving extremely fast, they appeared to chase each other. The objects were watched for around ten seconds before dropping and disappearing behind the horizon.