THE GHOST OF CARY GRANT AT THE ROTTINGDEAN CLUB

Although Brighton has hosted its fair share of celebrities down the years, including Lord Lawrence Olivier, Sir Terence Rattigan, Sir Paul McCartney and, not forgetting, the Prince Regent (later George IV), who undoubtedly considered himself as a celebrity. Yet only four miles along the coast road from Brighton is the village of Rottingdean, which challenges Brighton as a celebrity Mecca.

One of its earliest celebrities was Rudyard Kipling; although his stay was short lived, due to a lack of privacy, as visitors were constantly peering through his windows to try and glimpse the author.

Many major film stars stayed in Rottingdean from the 1930’s onwards, including Bettie Davis and Merle Oberon. Charles Laughton and Katherine Hepburn, amongst others, also made visits to stay with their friend and resident author Enid Bagnold (National Velvet/ The Chalk Garden). Michael Wilding, at one time, owned The Coach House pub and Errol Flynn’s parents lived in a nearby village. By all accounts, Errol was often seen propping up the bar in several of the local pubs in the 1950’s. The veteran comedian, Jimmy Edwards, also owned a flat on the seafront.
In recent years both Ricky Gervais and Trevor MacDonald have been spotted while visiting relatives there. Cate Blanchett, who owned a house in Brighton, was often seen collecting her son from the prep school in the village. By all accounts, the League of Gentlemen based their ‘local shop’ on a gift shop found on the high street.

However, the village’s most distinguished celebrity was the debonair Hollywood star Cary Grant, who was particularly fond of Rottingdean. He became a frequent visitor to the Rottingdean Club, which is where he would stay on his many visits to England. So enamoured was he with the club that he made several attempts to purchase it.

The actor died in 1986 aged 82. However, his spirit is believed to haunt the club of which he was so fond. His alleged appearances first began some eighteen months after his death. Di Goodchild, who ran the club for many years with her husband Don, said: “He’s not the frightening sort of ghost at all. He’s a lovely warm presence.”

A chef named Jeremy Goodchild was also quoted as saying, “I have seen him several times. He was grey haired and wearing a raincoat.” A female member of the bar staff also claimed to see the figure of a man in a raincoat in the cellar area. She thought at first it had been the club’s former owner Don Goodchild, but he had been elsewhere at the time. He later responded by saying, “I hadn’t been near the cellar, I didn’t believe in ghosts – now I have to.”

However, this distinguished-looking ghost has not been seen in recent years. Perhaps he has become a little disgruntled by recent changes to the club and no longer feels at home there.