AS the chilly atmosphere of Hallowe'en fell over Harpenden on Tuesday night, groups of children and adults went in search of spooks, spectres and the supernatural during the Haunted Harpenden Ghost Walk.

In its third year, the Hallowe'en special took participants to the darkest corners of the town to listen to tales dating back hundreds of years entwined with local history.

Armed with torches and a hag stone to warn off any evil spirits, our first stop was at the graveyard of St Nicholas Church, which was first built in the 13th Century.

The group leaned in closer as our guide explained that the north side, or devil's side, of the church faced the graveyard where some of the earliest parish members buried a small black dog in the grounds to keep evil at bay.

Looking over our shoulders, we moved on to the lower High Street where we were told about the sad story of a young, demented girl who had lived at Rose Cottage in the 1600s.

After returning home from London pregnant at only 15, she killed her baby soon after birth before committing suicide.

About 15 years ago the cottage was finally exorcised after three new tenants left the house terrified after only one night because of unexplained banging and crashing. The sounds were thought to be the young girl searching for her baby.

Careful not to lose anyone along the way, our guide re-told stories in a hushed whisper - of the old woman who sometimes appears at the window of Bowers House and a landlord of The Cross Keys who stumbled across three monk-like figures drinking in his bar in the middle of the night.

We listened silently to the tale of a witch, Ann Weatherhead, who is thought to still roam Agdell Field at Rothamsted Manor and the friendly ghost of the old landlady Mrs Archer who still walks through the walls of The Silver Cup pub smiling, and many more.

We finished at the Rose Gardens in Rothamsted Park, where highwaywoman Katherine Ferrers would gallop past on her way home to Markyate after terrorising coachmen on their way through Wheathampstead.

It's said that late at night you can sometimes hear the hooves of her horse tearing through the garden, followed by the spectral laughter of the wicked lady.

The hour-and-a-half long tour left the listeners wanting more as we walked silently back towards the lights of the town centre.

And even after lots of enticement, our guide left insisting she really didn't know who the lonely figure in the black cape was, stalking between gravestones at our first stop before disappearing into the bushes...

n The tour is arranged by the City of St Albans Tour Guides and is suitable for both adults and children. The next Haunted Harpenden walk takes place on Tuesday, December 19. For more information about future walks, contact the Tourist Information Office on 01727 864511 or email tic@stalbans.gov.uk