Emily - Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK
Posted by: 
Dragontree
N 50° 43.079 W 001° 52.485
30U E 579435 N 5619068
This old theatre dates back to the 1920s and has a resident ghost! An actress who died in the 1930s, Emily is blamed for the disembodied footsteps heard on the empty stage.
Waymark Code: WM4QT1
Location: Southern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/21/2008
Views: 12
Emily was an actress who collapsed on stage during a performance in the 1930s. There is an interesting article on the haunting of the pavilion here:
visit link
'Ghostly Goings On At Bournemouth's Pavilion
FOOTSTEPS on an empty stage and sightings of a woman in a bonnet are just some of the ghostly goings on reported at Bournemouth’s Pavilion.
Staff at the historic theatre are used to tales of Emily – thought to be the ghost of an actress who collapsed on stage in the 1930s. But as Halloween approaches they’re wondering if any of the paranormal activity thought to be the work of a more mischievous ghost will occur.
The listed building, which was built in the 1920s, has many of the creaky noises associated with old buildings and some staff remain sceptical about alleged haunting.
Simon Bagnall, Pavilion Stage Manager, said: “We hear constant stories of sightings. There appears to be a cheeky ghost - one member of staff claimed to have been chased up the corridor; another reported seeing things thrown around on stage when no-one was there, others have heard someone walking across the empty stage.
“There’s also mystery surrounding a red admiral butterfly that appears and flies around the auditorium – it has been trodden on before and still survived.
“Personally I’m not sure. It’s an old building so there are lots of funny noises and it’s a pretty eerie place to be in the dark, Perhaps some of the activity can be put down to people’s imaginations – but you never know.”
The building has been investigated by a Clairvoyant whose description of a woman in period costume matched reported ghost sightings from staff.
Cllr Bob Chapman, a staunch supporter of the Pavilion, has been attending the theatre regularly since the 1950s. The planned construction of a leisure development on the adjacent Bath Road North Car Park will generate at least £13 million for the Pavilion’s restoration.
Cllr Chapman said: “Who knows if the theatre is haunted – it’s certainly not unusual to hear tales of theatre phantoms. If Emily does exist perhaps she can rest in peace knowing her theatre will soon be restored to its glory days of the 1930s when she was treading the boards.” '
The Pavilion website advertises a behind the scenes tour as follows:
'Emily has apparently been spotted walking around the circle promenade wearing a period costume dress and a bonnet. Former Stage Manager Barry Beresford claims to have seen her walking up the theatre aisle, passing through curtains and out through the door at the back of the circle, even though it was chained shut!'