Is this Chichester's most haunted shop? We sent our reporter to investigate

I am not a spiritualist, nor am I a firm believer in God. When it comes to all things otherworldly I'm a skeptic — but that fact doesn't appear to be enough to quell my curiosity.

So as we near Hallowe'en, and having recently written about the alleged haunting of a Chichester tattoo shop, I wandered back to the supposed domain of the dead — The Electric Lady Tattoo in The Hornet — to find out more, this time with the help of a team of local psychics.

Objects 'fly across room' of haunted Chichester shopThe attic of the building was unpopular with the group, who all seemed to have a sense of dread and foreboding, one even began to feel unwell.

They told me there was a 'female presence' in the space, and that a young woman had died there in centuries past.

Now on the first floor, there was an altogether cheerier feel, they told me, though the evening started to take a more curious turn.

Two of the mediums had decided the eerie noises of a chair being slowly dragged across the wooden floor, which had been heard by the shop's owner, were in fact the sounds of children at play.

Other members began to nod in agreement as one woman swayed with her arms by her sides, appearing to 'tap in' to the spirit world.

"They're not angry," she informed us, "they're just playing."

Having become dizzy from playing with the ghost-children, she stopped, and we moved on to the next room before making our way downstairs.

While chatting in the shop's reception, I was tapped on the shoulder, "we've made contact."

I was almost giddy.

Finally — a 'spirit' presents itself, speaking through a woman.

As the woman spoke, the 'ghost' described itself.

According to what I heard the lady say, the 'ghost' was a man, wearing braces on his trousers, owner of a 'very bushy moustache', and husband of one of the shop's previous owners.

I'm told he sits in the back room puffing away on a pipe and reading his newspaper. "A Chichester Observer?" I asked.

No response.

"What does the shop sell?" It's either hats or pies, the ghost-man is unsure. He's quite happy just sitting and reading his paper.

I try another question, "What's your name?" He won't tell me. And with that dead-end (pun intended), the woman awakes from her paranormal chat.

One medium said they had an answer to the 'mysterious footsteps' which had been heard in the shop.

He told the group that 'the ghost of a man' was lingering on the first steps of the stairs. It was suggested that he was behind the death of the woman in the attic.

And with that the night came to an end.

Walking home under the cover of night, down the alleys and back streets of Chichester, my brains chewed on what I'd seen and heard back at the shop.

My curiosity is gone — my skepticism remains.