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WHISPERING SPIRIT

Little East Street sits in the shadow of Brighton Town Hall and runs from Bartholomew Square to King’s Road on the seafront. Tucked snugly at the southern end is number six, a listed cottage with bow-fronted windows, dating from 1800. The building was originally two separate shops; the right half dealing in ironmongery and hardware; the left half a stationers. In the mid-nineteenth century the whole building became a fishing tackle shop under the tenure of Samuel Andrews. It remained with that family up until World War II when it became a tailor’s shop.

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THE GHOST OF WILLIAM TERRISS

The Adelphi Theatre, which stands on the Strand in London, was originally known as the Sans Pareil Theatre when it first opened in 1806, it only became the Adelphi in 1819. This was a rather cramped establishment which had been described as little more than a hasty conversion from a tavern hall. The building was subsequently demolished to make way for the theatre you see today, which opened in 1858. The Adelphi has been famous for its many farces, melodramas, pantomimes, musicals and, moreover, its resident ghost.

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THE KINDLY SPIRIT OF JOSEPH GRIMALDI

Another spirit said to haunt the Drury Lane Theatre is that of Joseph Grimaldi, the most celebrated of English clowns. Grimaldi was born in Clare Market, near to the Aldwich, with an impeccable pedigree in the performing arts. His father was an Italian pantomime artist and ballet master and his mother a dancer.

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THE MAN IN GREY

It would seem that many thespians are reluctant to shuffle of this mortal coil and graciously pass over to the afterlife. Theatres in Bath York and Brighton all have their fair share of ghosts; Drury Lane is no exception.

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