Objects 'fly across room' of haunted Chichester shop

Electric Lady Tattoo in The Hornet has been subject to countless unexplained incidents since it opened its doors in the city five years ago including footsteps, mysterious droplets and objects 'flying across the room'.

Reports of the 'mischievous' and sometimes 'attention-seeking' ghost have come from staff at the tattoo and piercing shop who said they are not scared of the entity, but would like to know more.

Owner Aimee Luckham said there have always been strange noises in the shop.

"It tends to be upstairs where most of the noises happen — whether you believe in ghosts or not. I always work on my own on Mondays and I can hear footsteps going across the room or a chair being dragged."

Asked if she believes in the ghost herself, Aimee said: “I wouldn’t say I believe in ghosts but there are definitely some noises that aren’t just creaky beams, it’s definitely like ‘no that was a footstep’.”

More terrifying than the noises are the occasions where objects have 'flown across the room'.

Aimee recalled the experience of one member of staff: “She was cleaning and she had her cleaning bowl, and she put it down next to her and moved over to go and arrange something else and it just flew across the room and she was like, ‘I wasn’t near it, it wasn’t teetering on the edge’ — even if it was teetering on the edge it would’ve fallen onto the ground, it wouldn’t have flown across the room.”

“She was like, ‘I can’t go up there on my own now'.”

“In [body piercer] Rosie’s room, a lot of stuff sort of gets knocked about as well, she’s had plants be thrown across the room, and again, they’re completely fine on the shelf, it’s not wobbly - nothing else on the shelf has been moved either, just the one plant that’s been thrown across.”

“The shelf hasn’t fallen down and all our other trinkets next to it are completely fine as well. We’ve come back the next day and there’s no wind, there’s no window open, like nothing. And it was sat there for six months like absolutely fine.”

“People with me have also heard the footsteps. Some clients have been like ‘there’s a bit of an odd feeling’ but I don’t know if that’s just because it was night.”

The building dates back to the 1700s and has 'doors that lead nowhere' in the attic which are believed to have once lead to former Bush Inn pub.

"Whether it was for getting goods across or for smuggling, I don't know," said Aimee.

The door to the attic can often be found open despite using push magnets.

"I tend to say hello when I go into the attic, 'hi, you alright?' I don't know why. It doesn't like being ignored."

Artist Andy Chown has also been subjected to the poltergeist's practices.

He said: “I’ll be working and droplets of water will fall on me, but there’s no piping here or any water being directed or anything like that.

"The first thing I thought was obviously there’s a leak, now we’ve got to get a plumber. Turns out that there’s literally nothing.”

“I haven’t got an explanation. It’s one of the few things in my life I can’t reason because they came from nowhere.”

“Obviously if you’re getting dripped on you’ll be able to see it coming somewhere, and there was nothing.”

Aimee added: “I don’t think everything in life is explainable, some things shouldn’t be as well, you know, you don’t have to explain everything.

"I am a sceptical person, I guess I don’t believe in the supernatural, but when something weird does happen to you, you do question it.”

“There’s not an explanation for everything, and I think life’s a bit more interesting that way.”

Find out more about Electric Lady Tattoo by visiting their Facebook page: The Electric Lady ChichesterWhat do you think? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]