The Sunderland bar with a spirited past
But these weren't the alcoholic kind at Purple Bar in September 2011 . They were the ghostly variety and a medium had to be called in.
Purple Bar in Park Lane called in medium Suzanne Gill to track them down.
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The investigations began after reports of workers hearing children playing on the stairs, mysterious footsteps in the staff quarters and feeling cold in certain parts of the building.
Manager Steve Bennett called in the help of Suzanne who, after a visit to the bar in 2011 , picked up paranormal activity linked to the venue's heritage, which used to be a cinema in the late 1800s .
'I go to look but there is never anyone there'
Barman Paul Warrington told the Sunderland Echo at the time: "I'd never experienced any sort of paranormal activity before I worked here, but the sound of children playing on the stairs has been heard by so many of us. I go to look, but there's never anyone there."
Suzanne added: "I immediately picked up on the heritage of the building and felt a connection to a top architect called Mr Gray who had some connection to the docks and was a wealthy gentleman.
The ghost who was looking for his son
"I also felt there was some disaster at the back of the building, in which children were killed – the name Ivy or Ivory came to mind.
"I was able to make contact with a man called Tom who said he was looking for his son and relives the last days of his life walking up and down the corridor close to staff quarters.
"I also connected to the name Webb and an entertainer called Lottie.
'I had to take action'
"Much of the paranormal activity in the building is towards the back but the only time I felt threatened was at the bottom of the stairs with the Webb character."
Manager Steve said: "After so many of the staff alerted me to the activity and I saw how scared they were, I felt I had to take action."
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