Book excerpt: From reports of haunted castles, pubs, theatres and shopping arcades, to heart-stopping accounts of apparitions, poltergeists and related supernatural phenomena, Ghostly Tyne & Wear investigates thirty of the most haunted locations in Tyne & Wear today. Drawing on historical and contemporary sources, this selection includes a phantom highwayman at Blacksmith's Table Restaurant in Washington, a Carry On film legend who haunts the Empire Theatre in Sunderland, a mischievous poltergeist at the the Central Arcade in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, as well as sightings of phantom soldiers at Arbeia Roman Fort in South Shields. Illustrated with over sixty photographs, together with location and access details for each location, this book is sure to appeal all those interested in finding out more about the area's haunted heritage.