The nights are drawing in and spooky ghost tours are “creeping up” all over the county…
But what is Halloween all about?
It is a feast that goes back centuries and there are many different views on how it all started: some think that it is a Christian feast that was initially influenced by the Celtic Harvest festival, whilst other think that it is has wholly pagan origin. Whatever it is, though, Halloween, All Hallows’ Eve or All Saints’ Eve is celebrated in many countries all over the world and it revolves around the theme of using humour and ridicule to confront the power of death.
So it is time to get those scary costumes out (for your children of course!), carve pumpkins, light bonfires and visit haunted houses… But where can you go try and spot your local ghost?
Musicians tuning their instruments in the Corn Exchange, a ghostly monk walking the grounds of Hertford castle, and even a helpful ghostly cleaner doing the vacuuming at Monsoon Accessorize are just a few of the spooky inhabitants of Hertford.
The Salisbury Arms Hotel, in the town centre, is reported to have a number of ghosts, including a Civil War soldier roaming the corridors and a Victorian gentleman who walks into a cupboard and disappears.
The nearby Hertford House Hotel is also alleged to have its fair share of mysterious goings on, including the sound of footsteps in empty corridors and door handles turning by themselves. It is thought that this paranormal activity could relate to the murder of a young female employee who worked there when it was a private residence during Georgian times.
You too can join in the search for the ghosts that “live” in Hertford at an organised Ghost Walk on the 1st November starting from Salisbury Square. Tickets are available from the Tourist Information Centre for £4.
A bit too scared to join the Ghost Walk? Ruth Stratton book on Haunted Hertford might be the answer if you would rather curl up in front of the fire with a hot drink and Jack-o’-lantern on your doorstep to ward off vampires and the Undead.
Update: tickets for the Ghost Walk have sold out.
