Number 7 is widely known for its mystical powers, broken mirror brings 7 years of misery; on the other side 7 is considered to be a lucky number for many. As Halloween is approaching and the skeletons are brushing off the dust, ready to come out of the cupboard, we decided to dive into the past and remind you of all the supernatural events that were happening in our previous office, at Liverpool Terrace, that picked the interest of the TV crew from Japan 7 years ago…
The former Town Centre office in Liverpool Terrace, Worthing dates back to the 1820s and is a large four-storey building with a basement. Property Company, House Buy Fast moved there in 2009 and it seems that they may not be the only occupants.
Supernatural encounter
The strange occurrences began in 2010 when Director Jonathan Rolande was catching up on some paperwork on Sunday evening.
“It was a dark and misty evening and the building was empty. I was working in the first-floor office which would formerly have been the lounge. As it was after 4 pm the local shops had closed and the whole area was quiet, ghostly quiet as it turned out” – Jonathan said
He goes on “From nowhere I heard the very clear sound of a little girl practising musical scales. I jumped up and looked out of the window but there was nobody in the street. The building was deserted but I could hear it clearly as if she was just a few feet away. I felt quite spooked so went to make myself a coffee, convinced that I was imagining it. The kitchen is well away from the street and it was here that I heard strange talking noises, but not any language I recognised – almost backwards talking really. At that point, I decided to leave. As I closed the glass inner door next to the street I saw a shadow move across the hallway and my first thought was that it could be an intruder. The alarm was set and I expected it to be triggered but it didn’t make a sound. Whatever I saw wasn’t picked up by the movement detectors. It was all very strange.”
And Jonathan isn’t the only person to hear things.
Ghosts and footsteps
Colleagues Mario Antunes and Lewis Foster were working late one evening when they heard people walking up the stairs. Again they thought it must be intruders and followed the sound up the stairs but found nobody there. Then as they were walking back down they saw a “misty shape” moving in the stairwell below. “It’s the only time I can honestly say that I really did see a ghost” says Mario. Other staff members have heard doors and radiators banging as well as children’s laughter and door handles being turned with nobody on the other side.
Could it be the Girls School?
House Buy Fast commissioned local historian and author Chris Hare to look into the property’s history. The most interesting previous occupant was a certain Mrs Fanny Tranter and her two daughters who ran a girls school there in 1881. Could this be the reason that children’s voices are still heard to this day?
Recently featured on Fuji TV as part of their investigation into the haunted property in the UK the presenters could hardly believe that staff would be willing to work in a haunted building but the team at House Buy Fast took it in their stride.
“It’s all pretty weird but we’re used to it now. If something happens we hardly mention it anymore,” says Mario.
The Japanese TV Interview on Fuji TV
Japanese crew from Fuji TV interviewed the director of House Buy Fast, Jonathan Rolande about the paranormal activities in the office:
Originally posted in 2014