No More Ghost Hunting At Redoubt this Halloween

No more ghost hunting at the Redoubt Fortress in Eastbourne for Halloween 2022Image courtesy of The Voice of Hassocks - Own work, CC0, Link

Eastbourne's Redoubt Fortress Twilight Tours Are Over!

As we normally update this post every Halloween with the latest times and dates for the Redoubt's annual Halloween Ghost Hunt, we thought we'd share the sad news that there won't be any spine-chilling spooky goings-on in 2022.

Eastbourne locals will already be aware that the Redoubt has been closed for quite some time but if you've arrived at this page because you were hoping to book your ghost-hunting tickets for 2022 and are travelling from further afield, we're sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

The reason for closure

We think it's fair to say that the reason for Redoubt's closure can be summed up in one word - Money.

More precisely, the lack of it. Venues like the historic Redoubt are expensive to maintain and run. It's an old Napoleonic fort that was built in 1805 and therefore suffers from the same problems that any other structure of its age would. Like all old buildings, dampness is a constant problem and this is of course compounded by its location right next to the sea.

Health and Safety

Another fundamental issue with older buildings tends to be the struggle to make them comply with modern health and safety rules. The building needs to be deemed safe for visiting members of the public. For example, the Redoubt needs/has needed significant work done to the Fort's electrics and this is very costly and time-consuming.

Ongoing restorations

As the Redoubt was also a small museum when it was open, it had many exhibits from the Napoleonic era that constantly deteriorated because of the damp. Restoration is expensive and to some degree pointless if they continue to be stored in less than favourable conditions. In any case, most of the military memorabilia loaned to Redoubt has now been returned to the relevant regiments or put into storage for a later date.

redoubt fortess eastbourne

The Redoubt's ghostly history

At over 200 years old, the fort is still well known to the ghost-hunting community for its stories of a crouching man seen on the gun platform and a mysterious lady clothed in a long white gown.

There have also been reports of shimmering apparitions passing through solid stone walls, ghostly voices and icy chills felt by paranormal investigators, who regularly visit the Fortress to conduct their investigations. If you'd like to see a video of what it was like in previous years, here's a video of four 'ghost cams' from 2016.

The Redoubt was originally used as a Napoleonic encampment and then as the headquarters for the Military Police during World War One. It also played a vital role in World War Two, when it was used by Canadian troops shortly before the D-Day landings.

Model of the Redoubt FortressA model of Redoubt - Image courtesy of Ksimisk at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hope for the future

Don't despair, it's not all bad news. The local authority has said it's actively looking for ways to fund the Redoubt for future generations.

A spokesperson for the local is quoted as saying: “The council continues to look at ways to fund these essential works, including government grants for important heritage assets. Various options are being explored to ensure the Redoubt can be protected for the country and for future generations.”

So there you have it, the Redoubt is down but by no means out and it is possible that spooky ghost hunting expeditions will be resurrected from the dead some time in the future :)

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We provide spooky skip hire Eastbourne and the surrounding areas... and we love pumpkins!

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