The Pleasure Beach would seem an unlikely home for ghosts, but in fact there are several.

The Ghost Train is haunted by ‘Cloggy’, a clog-wearing ride attendant who died around the end of the 1970s. His footsteps are very distinctive, but some staff have also reported seeing him. Other odd things happen, such as electrical equipment bursting into life even though it is disconnected from the power supply. One member of staff witnessed one of the ‘decorative’ skulls on the ride flashing its illuminated eyes as he passed it, but on double-checking found that the power had indeed been switched off.

A ghostly male figure who looks like Karl Marx wanders about in the Star Pub; he has been spotted in the cellar, in the old living accommodation and in the bar. Glasses and bottles and even pictures on the walls have been mysteriously moved, lights have been switched on and off, and a woman has been heard singing.

The sound of invisible skaters has been heard in the Ice Rink, equipment has been moved by unseen hands, and padlocked doors found open. Perhaps the scariest ghost in the whole Pleasure Beach area is the female ghost haunting the Arena, particularly in the area of the tractor bay where people have felt a terrible chill and a presence they can only describe as ‘awful’. In Sir Hiram Maxim’s Gift Shop, a ghostly small girl has been seen and in the Pleasure Beach Casino, the ghost of a construction worker named Patrick is sometimes seen. He died during the building pf the Casino in the 1930’s and has haunted the place ever since it opened, especially in the maintenance area. In the Alice In Wonderland ride, surely one of the least likely places for ghosts, a phantom hanging man has been seen. This, however, is beaten by the Tunnel of Love, which is home to a spectral blood-stained woman.

text © Melanie Warren 2014

Image © Copyright Michael Garfield and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.