The Paranormal Database

The Lanes of Brighton, Sussex.

Grey Nun

Location: Brighton - The Lanes of Brighton
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Captured by her Order after running off with a soldier, this nun was bricked up alive in one of the buildings in The Lanes - her ghost now makes the odd appearance throughout the area.

The Stag Inn in Brighton.

Albert

Location: Brighton - The Stag Inn, Upper Bedford Street, Kemp Town
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The locals named him Albert; this tall man once made frequent appearances wearing a large apron, though it would now appear he has disappeared for good.

Theatre Royal, Brighton.

Sarah Bernhardt

Location: Brighton - 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.

Black Skull

Location: Brighton - Toronto Terrace
Type: Unknown Ghost Type
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: A resident here reported waking at 3am to find a small skull levitating in front of her - it was so black that it stood out from the darkness of the unlit bedroom.

Unease

Location: Brighton - Unnamed flat in Kempton area
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1999
Further Comments: A couple reported moving from their flat after a six month period, during which they experienced dread, anxiety and the presence of something evil.

Blind Beggar

Location: Brighton - Victoria Gardens
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1960s
Further Comments: The figure of a man in rags with empty eye sockets has been seen shuffling around this neighbourhood.

Volks Tavern in Brighton.

Blonde Woman

Location: Brighton - Volks Tavern, Madeira Drive
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Seen dancing within this tavern, the blonde woman was speculated to once have haunted the ruined West Pier.

The Wahoo Bar in Brighton.

Mr Webster

Location: Brighton - Wahoo Bar, West Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1990s
Further Comments: Mr Webster, nicknamed Claude, hanged himself in 1903, when the building was a hotel. His ghost, wearing chef garb, was reportedly seen by members of staff in the late twentieth century.

Cheltenham & Gloucester, Brighton.

Unseen Presence

Location: Brighton - Was a Vision Express shop, now Cheltenham & Gloucester bank
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Circa 2000
Further Comments: Several staff experienced something that brushed past them on a landing leading to the top floor of the building. Another person reported feeling something tap him on the shoulder in the same area.

The Windmill pub in Brighton.

Ransacked Room

Location: Brighton - Windmill public house, Upper North Street
Type: Poltergeist
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: Glasses are reported to fly from shelves and one room which was left tidy was found a short time later ransacked.

The YMCA in Brighton.

Woman in Long Dress

Location: Brighton - YMCA, East Street
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 2009
Further Comments: A guest at the site reported seeing a woman in a long dress drift along a hallway before vanishing through a wall.

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 stepped 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 pyjamas 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.

Bandstand along Kings Road, Brighton.

Gaunt Girl

Location: Brighton - Bandstand along Kings Road
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: 1990s
Further Comments: One person reportedly spotted this phantom, thought to be the ghost of a homeless girl who died of an overdose, as they stopped behind the bandstand to urinate. The ghost is said to be wearing ragged clothing and be very pale with sunken skin.

Snaking Lights

Location: Burgess Hill - London Road area
Type: UFO
Date / Time: September 1995, 08 July 2017
Further Comments: A married couple, along with other witnesses, observed five circular lights in the sky. The lights were different colours and 'snaked' for a few minutes before all turning white and shooting off in different directions. Twenty-two years later a witness heard a 'TV white noise' sound emerging from the sky which lasted around 20 minutes.

Boomerang

Location: Burgess Hill - Royal George Road
Type: UFO
Date / Time: 1994 or 1995
Further Comments: While outside, a male witness heard aircraft engines and looked to the sky. He watched a 737 appear briefly in the gap of the clouds, closely followed by another craft which was twice the size of the recognisable airplane. The latter craft was boomerang shaped with squared wing tips and dark grey or black in colour. After disappearing into the clouds, the witness did not see either craft again.

Last Home

Location: Burpham - Harrow Hill
Type: Fairy
Date / Time: Unknown
Further Comments: The last fairies in England are said to have resided here, until chased away in the 1900's by archaeologists.

Rudyard Kipling

Location: Burwash - Bateman's house
Type: Haunting Manifestation
Date / Time: Late twentieth century
Further Comments: The ghost of Kipling reportedly haunts his study. His fleeting shade was also seen standing by flowers in the garden.