Britain's 'most haunted' seaside town with 'ghastly face' and 'pale girl'

A British seaside town popular with tourists - and once frequented by smugglers - is said to be haunted by ghostly spirits.

The 'ghastly face' seen at an old window of a 17th century pub, the Fisherman's Arms, is said to be that of smuggler Thomas Crocker, who hung himself one night after 'temporary alcoholic insanity'.

Crocker's ghost is well documented in Looe, Cornwall, but there are said to be many other hautings too in the seaside town, including a 'pale girl that appears on the stairway in rags', at the Smugglers Cott Restaurant.

The restaurant dates back to 1420 - and a 'dark figure' has also been 'seen in the secret cellar' at this location, which is now a restaurant and bar.

The apparition has been known to 'throw things around' including large cocktail jugs and cutlery, paranormal experts have said.

Author Jonathan Boakes has gathered over 20 years of interviews and investigations into the ghosts of Looe - and he's written a handy guide book for those visiting the town looking for something 'paranormal'.

He details that over in West Looe, the 500-year-old Jolly Sailor Inn has caught 'astounding footage' on their CCTV of yet another ghost.

"Glasses fly off shelves, drinks fall off tables, doors open and slam with no one about, chairs dragged across the floor in the night - and a dandy-like presence in the ladies loo", has all been witnessed, local paranormal experts Jonathan and Matt 'Bear' Clark have said.

Matt, who works alongside Johnathan via company Shadow Tor, looking into history and paranormal activity across Cornwall and Devon, has also been exploring Looe's 'hauntings' for many years.

He said: "We get used to the weird stuff, especially if you're in the middle of a shift, in places like the Jolly and Smugglers Cott, but you can't just suddenly stop and say 'stop everyone, there's a ghostly shadow', as people would think we're mad."

Looe is a town of two parts, east and west, offering two distinct locations to explore, the paranormal pair explained - East Looe, with its history of merchants and lugger ships coming and going from the big quayside.

West Looe, which is undoubtedly the older of the two - and originally known as 'Portbyha' provided the 'strangest event recorded in the book', Johnathan said.

A skull was discovered on the chapel ground that 'defies identification', Jonathan explained.

The odd skull was found during the demolition of an old shed, at the same time the labourer that discovered it 'had a terrible accident' nearly 'slicing his hand off' on a sheet of old broken glass.

Jonathan explained: "The skull showed curious indicators, at one point creating quite a stir with forensic police officers from Exeter examining the skull into the early hours.

"Eventually, the skull was sent for a full CT scan and analysis at Bradford University, in an attempt to identify a species, but to no avail.

"Next step for us is sending our 3D model to the National History Museum to get answers.

"It's likely a small primate, but we like to think it's the skull of the last Cornish Piskie."

Now, Jonathan's newly published book, 'Haunted Harbour: The Looe Ghost Guide' delves into the town's history as well as the hauntings recorded in the area.

He said: "Looe is rich in paranormal tales, old and new, with some unexplainable events repeating themselves, hundreds of years apart.

"With over 40 stops on the tour, the book offers a chance to hear some of Looe's tall tales and chilling encounters, while also learning more about the history, folk tales and texture of the old town.

"Looking through old archives, maps, last wills and testaments, I started to note

down some of the weirder local cases - and I realised Looe is a strong contender for the most haunted seaside town in Great Britain.

"Do we believe all the stories? Absolutely not, but it's fascinating how many of these stories persist - over hundreds of years."