Littlehampton landlady 'shocked' by discovery inside pub's 'haunted nursery'

A Littlehampton landlady who is also a paranormal investigator made a shocking discovery inside the pub's 'haunted nursery'.
Ellie Boiling, and inset, the photo negative of 'Little Dolly'Ellie Boiling, and inset, the photo negative of 'Little Dolly'
Ellie Boiling, and inset, the photo negative of 'Little Dolly'

Ellie Boiling is a paranormal investigator when she is not running The Dolphin pub and hotel in High Street, Littlehampton.

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The Dolphin pub's most haunted moments in pictures'Ghost' captured on CCTV at The Dolphin pub in LittlehamptonShe claimed she saw the ghost of a little girl with pigtails roaming the corridors of her pub, and she named her Little Dolly as an abbreviation of Dolphin.

Ellie Boiling, and inset, the photo negative of 'Little Dolly'Ellie Boiling, and inset, the photo negative of 'Little Dolly'
Ellie Boiling, and inset, the photo negative of 'Little Dolly'
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When TV medium Derek Acorah visited her establishment in 2006 for the filming of his show Ghost Towns, he felt her presence too, Ellie said.

According to Ellie, the Most Haunted presenter held out his hand and said he could 'feel a little girl holding it', that she had pigtails and died of something to do with her throat.

Six months later, a man came in with a carrier bag of photos who was the relative of a former owner of the pub, Ellie said. They had some children - one of whom died of diphtheria, a highly contagious infection that can affect the nose and throat. He showed her a photograph of the dead girl, who had pigtails - and Ellie said it was Little Dolly.

Her birth name was Ada Constance Parish, the man said. But there was a twist to come.

The pieces of glass formed a negative of 'Little Dolly'The pieces of glass formed a negative of 'Little Dolly'
The pieces of glass formed a negative of 'Little Dolly'
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He took Ellie to Littlehampton Cemetery to show her the girl's grave. On the tombstone, the inscription read 'Little Dolly', she said.

Ellie said: "I was absolutely shocked, but I was pleased because it was like all the evidence coming together."

After this revelation, Ellie recruited a medium she knew to investigate room seven of the hotel, which used to be a nursery.

Her equipment was saying something was in the cupboard, which led into a crawl space behind one of the walls, so Ellie climbed to the back.

The photograph of 'Little Dolly'The photograph of 'Little Dolly'
The photograph of 'Little Dolly'
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There, she discovered some shards of glass in a sack; and when pieced together, they formed the negative of the photograph Little Dolly's relative had shown her.

She said: "People poo-poo the paranormal, but then all the evidence fits together like a jigsaw.

"I was pleased that whatever was going on was a real person. I feel very protective over her."

Ellie also hosts psychic suppers and other supernatural events at the pub. Contact 01903 715 789 for more information.

Have you had any paranormal sightings that you would like to share with us? Contact James Butler on [email protected].

(Images and video copyright of Ellie Boiling)