Funny how words lose their meaning over time. To be topical, take Hallowe'en for example. Now associated with witches and the like, how many realise that Hallowe'en actually has Christian origins? Hallowe'en is a contraction of All Hallows' Eve, which was celebrated annually on October 31, the eve of  All Hallows' Day, a time of remembering the saints and the departed faithful. However, It does have pagan roots as well in the Celtic festival Samhain celebrating the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter.

Last week, I reported on our ghostly evening at Monkton Church Hall when we all sat around by candlelight and were entertained by ghost stories of old Pembroke and Monkton. So as it's that time of year, I've asked Vicki Haggar to write down the story she told us last week- particularly as it concerns East End of town for a change.

The Ghost of Penfro House

"My mother told me this story so many times that I always felt that I was in her shoes and actually living the tale and that is just what I propose to do. Mum always told me that she was psychic and I have been told by a lady who follows the occult that she can feel vibes coming from me too.......Scary! Are you all sitting quietly? It needs to be silent to be ghostly.

"Well it is war-time again and nearing Christmas 1940. It is early evening and darkness is descending. There are no street lights and blackout curtains are already pulled down. A few men on bicycles trundle past and there are Red Cross workers and a few members of the Royal Observer Corps at various positions in the street and free cups of tea in the Drill Hall. What a dark place Pembroke is at night during these terrible years of war, but the spirit of the local people and the care they show to others is remarkable.

"At this time, we are living at 64 Main Street that is the first bay windowed house on Orielton Terrace next to the Western Telegraph office. Len has gone down to open 'The Show' which will soon fill up with, amongst others, the British soldiers, RAF and Yanks who love watching 'Goofy Learns to Fly'. Grandma is watching my three children for me and I am, happily, off to Penfro to have my hair done at Miss Ellis's Beauty Parlour, my treat of the month.

"On reaching Penfro, I tapped the door and was ushered into the upstairs room by one of the local ladies who helped in the Parlour. The blackout curtains had just been put in place and, apart from a few candelabras, there were no other lights. Miss Ellis, rather a sombre lady, was waiting for me and my hair was nicely shampooed, waved and dried and I felt much better. I said goodbye to everyone and went out through the large wooden door onto the landing. I was greeted with the smile of a charming elderly lady with white hair neatly coiled into a chignon at the back of her head. This elderly lady was very graceful and extremely gentle in her manner. She was wearing a beautiful lilac crinoline dress with ruffles on the bodice, long sleeves and puffed shoulders and I couldn't help thinking how lovely she looked. The crinoline lady was carrying a candelabra and by the light from this she showed me down the very grand Georgian staircase to the front door. She curtsied and nodded farewell. Not a word was spoken, but I have never forgotten her wonderful smile which seemed that it was especially for me.

"The next time I saw Miss Ellis, I spoke of the lady and asked if it might have been her mother. Miss Ellis looked at me in amazement and said: 'Pam you must have seen a ghost. There is, and never has been anyone of that description in my house'. Well, I will always remember my crinoline lady but it is very strange she has not been seen by anyone else."

Little Barnard House

Vicki lived only a little way from Penfro House, in Little Barnard House which is situated near Black Horse Walk. She told me: "I moved to the East End when I was nine-years-old and I used to go to Miss Ellis's ballet classes at Penfro House. I remember taking part in one of her productions called 'The Royal Pie' at the Garrison Theatre, Pembroke Dock. We were all dressed as blackbirds and four and twenty little ballet dancers  had to jump out of a big pie and run across the stage flapping their wings ... I tripped and slid on my bottom all along the stage. 'Trust Vicki Haggar' scolded Miss Ellis."

Barnard's Tower

Little Barnard House was so called because its garden backed on to Barnard's Tower. "It was a huge garden," recalls Vicki "the story goes that it was a farm, providing for the private school next door in Barnard's House. When we first went there, there was a big, two-storey stone mill with stables underneath, a pig sty, implement sheds, an enormous water tank and a brewery. But at the very bottom of the garden stood Barnard's Tower, the only entrance to which was in our garden.

"We used to run up and down the steps that led up to the Tower, play in the entrance and on the roof. The stairs were intact, but the floors had fallen through: we used to love to shout into it and listen to our echoes. The town wall stood much higher then, level with the top of the doorway you can see in the photograph printed here, and formed the boundary wall of our garden. The wall to the right was built by Pembroke Borough Council when my father generously released the end of our garden to form a public access to the tower."

I asked Vicki what she thought of PCC's decision to sell it. "I feel really upset," she replied, "my father felt that Barnard's Tower was such an important piece of Pembroke's heritage that it should belong to all the people of Pembroke. However, I do not think that the land and entrance to the tower is theirs to sell and I have documentary evidence to prove it. A conveyance made on August 29, 1966, proved that my father, I quote, 'released, without fee, unto The Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the Borough of Pembroke (the town council) a piece of land approximately 42 square. yards in area dedicated to providing public access from The Mill Pond Walk to the said Barnard Tower. This said area of land is not directly saleable as it is evermore dedicated to providing public access to Barnard Tower."

A rose by any other name

Preservation of our heritage certainly does not appear to be much of a priority with Pembroke County Council. But to be fair, they have now provided us with something to celebrate our heritage. For months, we have had to put up with roadworks and inconvenience while they have busily been laying their red shopping precinct style tiles to replace the old paving stones (which did need replacing). The crowning glory is a Tudor Rose set into the paving.

I went to see it the other day and it don't look like any rose I've ever seen, let alone a Tudor one - perhaps someone should have told them a Tudor Rose is red and white, not pink and yellow? I shan't make any comment, except to observe that this council squanders vast sums on things we do not want while essentials like public toilets are being closed and our 'real' heritage sold off. And how much nicer the East End looked with a wide road and pavements lined with trees.

Contact

If you have any stories, photographs or feedback for this column, please contact me, Linda Asman, on 01646 622428, email [email protected]">[email protected] and visit our website http://www.pembrokeandmonkonhistory.org.uk">www.pembrokeandmonkonhistory.org.uk

November events

Tomorrow (Saturday, November 2), 10.30-12.30, there will be a Local History coffee morning at Monkton Church Hall. The Dyfed Family History Society will be there and Rosalie Lilwall will be giving a talk on 'Getting Started: Tracing your Family Tree.'

We have on sale tickets for our Victorian Murder Mystery in Pembroke Town Hall on Friday, November 15. Tickets are £10 and include a two-course fork supper.