Is 1770s folly in Sussex countryside haunted?

Racton Monument is in a derelict state and has been daubed with graffiti

An 18th Century tower has been described as "one of the most haunted places in Sussex".

Lord Halifax had Racton Monument, in the district of Chichester, built between 1766 and 1775 as a folly or landmark, according to the National Heritage List for England.

The Grade II listed building has become an attraction for people interested in the paranormal and there have been several rumoured ghost sightings, according to Sussex journalist Lucy Pitts.

In its current state the building "looks fantastically haunted", she said.

She told Secret Sussex the building "would have looked extraordinary" when it was built.

The structure was built with red brick and faced with flints, which have mostly disappeared.

"The windows would have been really ornate, it would have had a lovely door, it had a staircase inside, it was almost crenelated in places," said Ms Pitts.

She added that "views were divided as to whether it was a thing of great beauty or utterly grotesque" at the time Racton Monument was built.