The Crown Hotel in Poole, Dorset, is reputedly haunted by a number of ghosts, although most activity is thought to take place in what was once the old stable block of the hotel.

During the 1960s, the sound of someone playing the piano was heard coming from the stables. At the time, the stables had been converted into a nightclub, so the sound wasn't unusual. What was odd, however, was the fact that there was no one at all in the building.

On another occasion some workmen who were working in the stables witnessed one of the stable doors swing open of its own accord. Even when the door was bolted it still persistently swung open.

Perhaps the most horrific story surrounding the hotel concerns the sound of children's screams. They were heard by several witnesses and are thought to be from two children who were imprisoned in the stable block. According to local legend, a former landlord locked his two deformed children in the stable block and later killed them.

Other ghostly activities include the sound of something sounding terrifyingly like a body being dragged across the upper floor, and a fluorescent mist which appears in the shape of a child's head.