Haunted Halifax: Here is why new owners of Halifax nightclub may need to be prepared for ghostly goings on

Switch on Commercial Street, which was formerly ATIK, is holding its opening night on Friday, October 13 and is even bringing back Halifax favourite Maine Street.

The nightclub building is one of Halifax’s most iconic, was a cinema and bingo hall before it was nightclub, and is rumoured to have its own ghost.

Some people who have worked there previously – when it was ATIK and also Liquid – have been convinced the building is haunted by the spirit of a projectionist who burned to death during a horror film showing 70 years ago.

Raymond Farrar was just 25 when he perished while an audience of 600 people watched the film The Ghost Of Frankenstein’ in 1948.

But the movie-goers were unaware that a blaze had broken out upstairs in the building, which opened in 1913.

Reporting the incident on April 9 1948, The Halifax Daily Courier and Guardian said an audience saw a flash of red rip through the film before the reel cut out and they realised the building - then simply called The Picture House - was on fire.

Attempts to rescue Mr Farrar were in vain.

Previous staff at the club in Halifax town centre have said they have seen a "ghost" had tousled hair and dressed in black trousers and a crumpled white shirt.

Others have reporting feeling “a presence” in the building, loud banging and hand driers turning on and off by themselves.

Two women who worked in the building when it was a bingo hall said the phantom was well known among staff even then.

They told the Courier back in 2008 that it would sit on the balcony watching gamers.

One, who worked at the hall between 1964 and 1966, said staff became so fascinated, they organised a ghost hunt to flush the spirit out.

She said: “The upstairs wasn’t open then and it was largely abandoned so we thought, once and for all, let’s see what’s going on.“But there was ever such a large bang while we were exploring. You’ve never seen people run so fast!

“It was well known among staff that there was a ghost there but you didn’t say anything except to each other. You didn’t want to be ridiculed.”

For more details about Switch and its opening weekend, visit https://www.switchhalifax.com/