The Storyteller: Paranormal Paignton

The other Monday I was the guest speaker at the monthly meeting of Paignton WI.

I entertained them with my stories of paranormal investigations, local hauntings in Torbay, and a smattering of what I get up to on Dartmoor. Ladies were laughing and gasping in all the right places, so I think they enjoyed what I had to offer...so much so that there was even talk of hiring a minibus, for further exploration of the moors, with accompanying tales...

After my talk, during a refreshment break, several ladies came up to me with questions and comments, and one, in particular, was very interested to know if I was considering doing one of my Ghost Walks around Paignton, as she was unable to travel further afield.

My initial response was no, as most of the locations I refer to in my talk, are quite spread apart, and therefore not easy to join together in one walk, but, having given it some further thought, I came up with some other haunted spots, that I could feature along a possible route, and I thought I might just share them with you here first...

The obvious place to start, is where it all began for me, when I came to Torbay, straight out of drama school, back in 1987, to take part in a Summer Season, at the Palace Avenue Theatre.

It wasn’t long before we were being told stories of the Lavender Lady (due to the colour of the outfit she wears), being seen walking across the stage. Sadly, she didn’t make an appearance during our time there, but some of my fellow actors often complained of an odd atmosphere in the downstairs dressing rooms, backstage...

Years later, I was asked to take part in a publicity stunt, to help a friend of mine, who was directing a production of A Christmas Carol there. In return for letting us hold an overnight investigation in the venue, we were to have our photograph taken for the local paper, to advertise the play.

From what I can remember, there wasn’t much to report from our vigil, but the paper got its picture of three bleary eyed ghost hunters, poring over a monitor screen at 6 o’clock in the morning...

Just around the corner from the theatre, is Kirkham House, with a cottage, sharing the same name, nearby. This cottage has always had a reputation for poltergeist activity, with a ghostly presence being blamed for the many fires that have damaged the property over the years. Sadly, the more mundane cause of the fires, can be attributed to poorly disposed of cigarette butts in the low hanging thatched roof.

I was once invited into the cottage, to see for myself. The then owner, assured me there was nothing untoward going on in her home, and I was inclined to agree with her, for, during my visit, I could only sense a pleasant atmosphere about the place.

However, the same can’t be said for Kirkham House. Myself, and members of my group, visited it during one Heritage Open Day. We weren’t aware that it was haunted, but when our guide told us about a tragic accident that had occurred there, it gelled with an experience that my boss at the Princess Theatre had shared with me, and I was able to provide him with a possible name for the apparition he often saw in his house on Millbrook Road, behind Kirkham House. 

Weirdly, the guide told us about the fate of a past tenant of the property, who bore the same name as her, one Margaret Brimacombe, although, if memory serves, one of their surnames was spelt Brimicombe. She had taken a tumble down an outside staircase, that served the upper floor of the house, and died from her injuries.

The spot where she landed, is now part of the garden of a house on Millbrook Road...the one my boss used to live in. He would often see a white, misty figure, standing at the top of his staircase. Was Margaret re-enacting the way she had died?

Further up Colley End Road, you come to a row of what used to be old fisherman’s cottages...this is possibly an indication of how far up the sea used to come, before it was drained away, and the reclaimed land built on.

An old neighbour of mine, moved into one, and, knowing my interest in such matters, told me it had an odd atmosphere, and that he would often find objects moved around after no one else had been inside. Maybe a past resident was tidying up for him?

I have a vague recollection of a ghost story attached to St John the Baptist Church, possibly another stop on my walk. This is where an example of the Three Hares ceiling bosses can be found. The story refers to someone, who, whilst taking a shortcut through the graveyard, came upon a ghostly figure standing by a particular grave. When they shared their experience with an old local, their description matched that of the occupant of that very grave...

My reminiscences of Paignton based ghost stories, takes us down towards the seafront, and the old, newly restored, Paignton Cinema, where, I believe, the smell of tobacco smoke has often been experienced, wafting from the boxes at the back of the auditorium, when no one has been smoking there. Old coins have also been found strewn around. In my mind, this is a building just begging to be investigated!

Somewhere that we did investigate, several times, before it got cruelly demolished, to make way for the new hotels on the seafront, is the premises laterally known as The Lighthouse. This was a bar and club, combined with a music hub for young people.

It was run by a friend of mine called Aly. She got in touch with me, when some of the members started to see ghostly figures around the place. We held several late-night investigations there, and did a fair bit of research, uncovering several deaths that had occurred there, many dodgy dealings, that could have resulted in said deaths, and the fact that it was associated with the Deller’s Cafe, that Paignton was once famous for, a name now resurrected in the hotel that now stands on the same site.

One of our mediums was even able to draw what the cafe would once have looked like, by the process known as remote viewing. A shame it has all gone now, as it was a wonderful place to investigate. I can’t help but wonder if the modern hotels have any further activity to report? As the old Inn on the Green next-door, was also known for its ghostly presences...

My friend, Aly, seems to have a knack of uncovering other haunted hotspots to share with me. For a time, having vacated The Lighthouse, the music hub moved into premises once known as the old club, Panama Jax, at the recently demolished Crossways precinct.

Here the young musicians also experienced unusual activity. Sadly we didn’t get to investigate that, but she did once give us access to another property she ran, on Hyde Road, called Agatha’s Closet, a short-lived, second-hand clothing business she championed.

Experiencing odd activity, with clothing being moved around, and an unsettling atmosphere, we had one shot to have a look around, before she moved on...which reminds me of another property that we did investigate, on a number of occasions, also on Hyde Road, an old pet shop, which again reported stuff being moved around, and an odd presence, which took the form of a little boy sitting on the stairs to the petting area. Could they be connected? Especially as there is probably still a water source flowing underneath that part of the town...

Aly then moved to another old property, back on the seafront, which she rented as office space. Coincidentally, at that same time, I was contacted by someone else who worked elsewhere in the same building, who reported things being moved around, an unsettling presence, and no desire to spend time there on their own!

We were asked to investigate, but the powers that be said no...however, Aly got us access as part of her business, and we had a good look around. There was one corridor, in particular, that was quite disturbing, especially when lights started to flicker on and off... 

Finally, we finish up, further along the seafront, at the site of my old place of employment, in the box office of the Festival Theatre, where I started the Summer after my season at Palace Avenue. Now the Vue Cinema, there are reports of one of the screens being haunted. Funny how the theatre, before it, was never said to have any ghosts?

I was reliably informed, that staff would often see someone sitting on the front row, during a screening, and that no one matching their description ever left once the lights came up. Are they still there, watching films for free? I was once given a quick look around the screen in question, but no proper investigation as yet...

It would seem I’ve uncovered quite a few locations, worthy of mention, around haunted Paignton. Maybe, there is enough for me to make into one of my Ghost Walks after all? Once again, keep watching this space...