MERTHYR TYDFIL GHOSTS

[ceri]

A long time ago I recall my grandmother telling me that someone one night when strolling past a Merthyr graveyard (possibly Cefn) saw a light shining above a grave. Lots of people in Merthyr heard about this and they too made their way to the graveyard and witnessed this spooky light. This was not just a tale - it really happened! Can anyone else recall mention of this event being passed down through their families?

Also when, I visited Merthyr with my two daughters about four years ago, we spent a short while in what used to be the "Narrow Gauge" in Glebeland Street where my Rees family were innkeepers from 1871 onwards, and prior to that the Dyffryn Arms. The people there made us welcome and during a conversation with a young girl working there, she mentioned just before we left that they had experienced down in the cellar a strange happening like a ghostly man passing quickly by. Has anyone else heard anything along the lines that "The Narrow Gauge" is haunted?

Ceri

[acrosstheroad]

I can answer your first question about the lights in the cemetery's, the `phenomenon` was seen in both Cefn and Pant cemetery's, (my job put me at both those locations some nights) it was the street light(s) reflecting off shinny marble head stones, nothing more, but it still gave us all the `creeps` non the less, and we used to wind each other up something awful about it. The effect was more prominent at the cemetery in Pant though, what was odd though, was that the stone(s) that were reflecting, quite brightly, the street lights were not close to the wall, but, especially the one in Pant, were way up the hill, and stones lower down did not reflect/catch the light in the same way .

[malky50]

I read this post wth interest. I have exactly the same phenonenon ocurring in my London flat regulary ei a ghostly shape passing quickly by. I am a Merthyr boy by the way and have spent a few (after !) hours in the Narrow Gauge !

[ceri]

Thank you "Across the Road" for responding so promptly to my post on the above subject. I found your reply very interesting and enlightening. You can imagine how the locals must have felt at the time on witnessing this light in the graveyard without any logical explanation. Any idea when this event could have happened? I should imagine that it got a write-up in the local paper at the time. I can't get over the fact that I am actually in touch with someone like yourself on this matter. I was beginning to let it fade into the back of my mind. I am so pleased you got in touch.
Regards.

[ceri]

The Narrow Gauge

I am not sure how to reply to individual messages on the above subject. This a reply to Malky 50.

Thank you for responding. I assume you knew the Narrow Gauge before it was turned into what was called "The Splash
Bar" which I gather has also closed. I recall a long time ago that there was a small room as you walked in on the right and there was a bar opposite the front bay window. I can't believe that permission was given to gut the whole of the interior of the ground floor. Nowadays, these lovely old pubs are refurbished in keeping with the age of the pub, where one can enjoy a lovely lunch and a good drink.

I notice on the AlanGeorge site that there used to be a photo of the Narrow Gauge in Glebeland Street (opposite the Wyndham Arms). You can see running across the building under the bay window the narrow gauge tramlines depicted on the wall and I knew that at one time the swinging pub sign outside showed a photo of the Penydarren Locomotive. I wonder what happened to that when the extensive alterations took place? Glebeland Street is still a very nice looking street, with a nice mix of shops including of course, the Merthyr Tydfil Register Office.

My grandmother used to tell me stories about the pub and how during the First World War they used to entertain the "Volunteers" around the grand piano.

I do have a photo of the Narrow Gauge if you are interested!

[lynnisakriz]

Seelo am new to here too I will share how I came to be here.  I am a Medium/Psychic that is working with someone from a forum I am on that had this come up to her when we were working on connecting her to her Guides.  I know of this disaster have seen something on TV of it that I know.  I must say too what a sad day that was and still is.  I am in Canada.  Too the INTERNET seems to find me all over the World these days a wonder thing this is for communications.I do a lot of work with the "dead" or "in Spirit" mostly I do crossings and house cleanings and blessing for the most part and this past year 2008 I found myself on a Paranormal forum and connected with one wanting some help with things or understandings or even at times messages from a loved one.  I do not seek ones out they come to me via my Guides.  There is a lot of activity in the one picture here of the graveyard so much so that I had to save it to go back to it later was too much.  Now no fear first and for most my number one thing I did with any picture is make sure all have found the LIGHT and are crossed over.  I am happy to say all are at peace too some come back to wonder why this happened.  Why did ones not see how very very close that was to town ? That is what I so hear now why ?  Too there is no reply to why it is simply how many a thing was done then.  Ones did not look to what might happen and sadly I feel still do not.  If there is anything ones might want to know about me or photo's ones have that they feel is something in them they do not understand IE image....I will be more than pleased to see  if I can get contact if my Guides can find them for me and they will talk to me.  Too I will be working with this one I have to see how she fits to this as no names run with her.  But too there is that strange post to the Titanic incomparisonm to how it could have and should have beenfor seenn.  I so wonder on that one as one is on water and one on land ? 

I hope that I have not overstepped my coming here. In the way I come to here.

Lynn

[acrosstheroad]

Jan 14, 2009 18:28:50 GMT 1 ceri said:

Thank you "Across the Road" for responding so promptly to my post on the above subject. I found your reply very interesting and enlightening. You can imagine how the locals must have felt at the time on witnessing this light in the graveyard without any logical explanation. Any idea when this event could have happened? I should imagine that it got a write-up in the local paper at the time. I can't get over the fact that I am actually in touch with someone like yourself on this matter. I was beginning to let it fade into the back of my mind. I am so pleased you got in touch.
Regards.

The memory cells are not very good at recalling dates of any sort, but I think 1967 1970 ish would be about it, can`t remember if it made the local paper though, and the only other `Locals`were some of the kids (that we used to wind up about it) and some drinkers after chucking out time. Of the two, Cefn and Pant, the one in Cefn took a bit of seeing ..... the `Lights` could be seen, but they were no more than, as I said, the reflection of street lights off the marble/ polished stone, weather conditions and the antics of the crews ..

[naomi]

I went to Cyfartha Castle school back in the 1990's. Always intrigued by the paranormal, I would seek out times to be alone in rooms or corridors on purpose in order to see a ghost. I never saw a full appirition/spirit. I never got pushed or shoved. The only thing that did happen only happened once.

Walking along the upper floors I was very interested in getting up to the "out of bounds" area above the round library. I decided I would take the risk and wander on up. I HAD to see it! So I sneaked up the staircase by the library very quietly. I found a locked second room. I pushed on the door gently hoping it would give way and it did. I went inside and at this point I was both exhilerated by the feeling of being naughty and half scared of what I might find.

There were several weird props up there from school plays like a coffin. I walked up to the window to look out. By this time there was a overwhelming feeling of me not being alone in the room. I was just heading back out of this round room and the door slammed shut on me! At this point I was shaken up but I thought maybe it was the door or a draught so I went to go and reopen the door. To my horror it was locked! Now I really started panicking. This was when we had no mobile phones etc so the ONLY way I was going to get out was to draw attention to myself and ineventibly get into trouble. More scared of the headmaster than any ghosts I sat on the floor and started to cry. I sat there until the bell went. I heard everyone go out to class and run through the corridors. Of course I was knocking on the door and shouting but no body could hear me-those walls and doors are seriously thick. I tried knocking the window to people passing by outside but not one person looked up. By the second bell I was inconsolable. I was convinced I was locked in forever and would be found dead weeks later haha.

Well, the second bell goes and everyone's off to another class. Then again the instense silence follows and I am again sitting on the floor crying. Out of nowhere, the doors makes a CLICK sound and just creeks open! I have never run out of a room so fast in my life! There was not a soul around and if a person had locked me both in and let me out I woudl have heard/seen them on those stairs-there's NO WHERE to run/hide. I have never told anyone this story as I didn't want to admit to my naughty behaviour at the time. That was the worst thing that happened to me in that school.

Other times while in the museum the mirror in the basement areas turned around. A girl I knew was in tears also one day claiming she'd been pushed to the floor but by a unseen force.

The top ponds are now covered over into a carpark. Back in the day people woudl drown regularly in them whether by suicide or accident. My husband saw a young boy IN the water when he was a teenager. He ran up to help him out in a panic to find there was nobody even in the water...