Ghosts of South Tyneside: 13 of the most haunted places in the borough - and the spirits said to walk them
From spectral vikings and ghostly cavaliers to a cleaning lady who keeps up her duties even after death, there is no shortage of ghost stories in South Tyneside.
By Ross Robertson
Published 28th Feb 2019, 14:03 GMT- 1 min read
Ghosts of South Tyneside
Here's a look at some of the spookiest spots in the area, and the ghost stories and legends associated with them. We've drawn on our own archives. including Mike Hallowell's Wraithscape columns and a feature on the Ghostly Taverns book by Darren Ritson and Michael Hallowell.
Said to be haunted by a Sad Cavalier wearing the tall boots, leggings and wide-brimmed hat who vanishes into thin air when asked if he needs any help.
Friendly spirits are said to haunt the historic building, including ghostly figures seen in the auditorium of the theatre. A spectre, believed to be an old seafarer called The Captain, is also said to haunt the area
Both a Royalist ghost and a spectral Cavalier are said to haunt the pub, said to relate to Civil War-era tunnel which runs under the former coaching inn, which was previously The Britannia.
The current pub was built on the site of a much older tavern during Victorian times. Other tales include a phantom coach and horses, as well as a yarn involving a one-legged sailor who supposedly died on the premises in the 1800s
Legend has it that the ghost of a former cleaning lady still walks the pub. Occasional creaking and knocking noises have been credited to Mrs T doing her cleaning rounds.
Formerly the Robin Hood, where a spiritual presence was said to periodically hurl a clock from the wall.
Said to be haunted by the ghost of Isabella Chaytor, who inherited the hall with her husband Thomas Drewett Brown in 1841.
A Viking warrior is said to haunt the Boldon Burn, which is part of the River Don. There are records suggesting a Viking longboat may have been buried in the area and unearthed in the Victorian era.
The grotto's most famous ghost relates to a smuggler named John the Jibber, said to have been murdered by his fellow criminals by being hung in a barrel in a cave close to the present lift shaft and left to starve.
Among other ghosts said to make their home in the old tavern include the original owner, Blaster Jack, another smuggler, a black-and-white cat, the daughter of another owner and a poltergeist who haunts the toilets.
A ghostly toddler has been seen sitting at the bottom of the cellar steps. Gaming machine alarms mysteriously going off and bottles rattling violently behind the bar are among other strange phenomena reported.
This mill, in a remote spot in the Cleadon hills, is said to be haunted by the miller's daughter Elizabeth Gibbon, who died of a broken heart.
Legend has it the pub is haunted by a Green Lady - a lovelorn girl who was dumped by a visiting coachman, and pined herself away. She haunts the upstairs of the pub in her fine green dress, bought to impress her would-be suitor.
There are also reports of paranormal activity including a nurse called Rachael and the spirit of a man who apparently died of unnatural causes in the pub.
The lighthouse, which was investigated by TV show Most Haunted, is said to house several ghosts, including a lighthouse keeper, a lady, and a pitman who worked at the nearby mine.
Featured in a TV programme on the Discovery Channel. Psychic Suzanne Hadwin claimed the pub was haunted by a six-year-old girl called Jessica Ann Hargreaves, who was murdered there in 1908 by Joseph Lawrence.
