The Paranormal Database

The Gardner Arts Centre in Brighton.

Grey Smoke

Location: Brighton - 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.

Brighton's George Beard pub.

Female Jailor

Location: Brighton - 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.

Brighton's Grand Hotel.

Seventh Floor

Location: Brighton - Grand Hotel
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2000s
Further Comments: The seventh floor of this hotel is said to be home to a phantom, although details are fleeting.

Stroking

Location: Brighton - 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.

Floor Shadow

Location: Brighton - Guitar, Amp and Keyboard (GAK), North Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2019
Further Comments: CCTV taken in the shop showed a ghostly shadow moving across the floor. Cameras also recorded guitars gently swaying from side to side and an item falling off the wall with nobody close by.

Glass Smashing

Location: Brighton - Ha! Ha! Bar, Pavilion Buildings
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Early 2001
Further Comments: Noises and the breaking of glasses resulted in the owners calling in the ghost hunters in early 2001.

Tapper

Location: Brighton - Hanningtons department store (no longer operating), North Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late twentieth century
Further Comments: A phantom was said to have developed a habit of tapping customers on the shoulder when they visited the perfume department.

Monk

Location: Brighton - Harlequin Bar, Providence Place
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A phantom monk is said to have been spotted on the first floor, while a ghostly girl lurks in a passage which leads to the toilets. An exorcism is reputed to have taken place many years ago which rid the site of the entities.

The Heist nightclub, Brighton.

Tall Man

Location: Brighton - Heist (club), West Street (no longer operating)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2000s?
Further Comments: It is claimed that several ghosts haunt this building, including a tall man with a handlebar moustache, a small child, and another figure who walks behind a stained glass window at the rear of the venue.

Brighton's Hippodrome Theatre.

Vesta Tilley

Location: Brighton - 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.

Hoard

Location: Brighton - Hollingbury Hillfort
Type: Legend
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A local legend says that treasure is (or was) concealed in this area, though the details are vague.

Brighton's Horse and Groom pub.

Fred

Location: Brighton - 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.

Location of the shop 'John Beal and Son' before it closed, in Brighton.

Dark Cowled Figure

Location: Brighton - John Beal and Son (no longer trading), East Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1950
Further Comments: This figure, most likely to be a monk, appears after dark and is said to lack a face.

Cheetah

Location: Brighton - Junction of Mill Road and Dyke Road
Type: ABC
Date / Time: 23 December 1982, 22:00h
Further Comments: Driving home, Douglas Owen encountered a large cat resembling a cheetah lying on a grassy bank. After watching it for a short while, the cat ran off towards nearby houses.

Brighton's Upper Rock Gardens.

Naked Woman

Location: Brighton - Junk Shop, Upper Rock Gardens (no longer exists)
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1950s
Further Comments: This naked, disfigured female phantom was said to have been murdered in the building's basement by her insane husband. A private house in the same area is home to the benign presence of an elderly woman.

The King & Queen Pub in Brighton.

Shouting

Location: Brighton - 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.

A restaurant along New Road, Brighton.

Flying Knife

Location: Brighton - 7 New Road (was Leadbelly's, currently El Mexicano)
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: 1980s onwards
Further Comments: A knife was thrown through the air by an unseen hand and a set of keys vanished only to reappear in plain view an hour later, when this restaurant was Leadbelly's. Since that time, banging has been heard coming from the restaurant when empty, and a member of staff reportedly spotted a phantom old man in the basement.

Lady in Mackintosh

Location: Brighton - A23 southbound, north of town between pylons and roadside cafe
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown, likely mid to late twentieth century
Further Comments: One woman driving home watched as a lady wearing a mackintosh step out in front of the car. There was no impact and, looking back into the rearview mirror, the lady in the mackintosh could not be seen. Many years later, the driver listened to a work colleague as he described a similar incident that had occurred to his friend. The friend had reported it to the police who told him sightings of the ghostly lady were fairly common.

Ali Cats public house, Brighton.

Groaning

Location: Brighton - 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.

All Saints Church, Brighton.

Pale Woman in Grey

Location: Brighton - All Saints church, Patcham
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: This ill looking woman appeared along a pew during a Christmas service, disappearing after a kind gentleman placed his coat around her shoulders, trying to keep her warm.

Ape record shop, Brighton.

Nuns

Location: Brighton - Ape (formally Lawleys), North Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A former manager is said to have seen three phantom nuns in this property. The entities reportedly glide across the floor before vanishing through the back wall.

Aquarium public house, Brighton.

Known by Name

Location: Brighton - 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.

Screams

Location: Brighton - Area around Norfolk Square
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1940s onwards
Further Comments: A German bomb killed many people here during the Second World War. The screams of the injured could be heard for years after the event.

Area around the library, Brighton.

Child in Pyjamas

Location: Brighton - Area around the library
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Prior to early 1990s
Further Comments: Thought to have been killed during a Second World War bombing raid, this small ghostly child dressed in pyjama is said to carry a wooden toy. It is not clear whether the ghost has been observed since the 1990s, when the last of the bomb damaged buildings were fully demolished.

Churchill Square Shopping Centre, Brighton.

Black Belly

Location: Brighton - Area surrounding Churchill Square Shopping Centre
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1911 onwards
Further Comments: The area surrounding this shopping centre is reputedly home to Black Belly, an apparition which is normally observed from the corner of the eye. The figure is said to resemble a large bald man, wearing a shirt which does not quite cover his stomach, revealing a bloated and bruised stomach. The figure is also said to hover a few centimetres from the ground. One of the last witnesses to see Black Belly is reported to be a telecoms engineer who reported the sighting to the police.