FROM the Archive this week features a photograph of The Castle Hotel, in Jewel Street, Barry – in which a ghostly female figure appears, to the left, on the staircase.

One pub regular believes she was a chambermaid who apparently she fell pregnant with a captain’s baby, but he dismissed her.

She threw herself out of the top window into the beer garden.

Punters claim she makes her presence felt upstairs.

Meanwhile, The Castle Hotel was awarded a license to sell alcohol on August, 25 1898, but it was not without opposition.

The licensing session was held at the Barry Dock Police Courts, Holton Road, and the Temperance Party was out in force to oppose it.

Leading the opposition was Mr S.T. Evans QC and the MP for Mid Glamorgan.

Even with such a qualified advocate, it only took the bench a few minutes to decide to grant the hotel their licence.

The Castle soon became the hub of the dock community with many celebrations of weddings, funerals and annual dinners.

The tragic murder of a barman in 1908 made national news.

With such a colourful past, there could well be a few spirits, of all kinds, about.

The Barry & District News would like to thank Adam Swannick for the photograph and Mr Swannick and Cllr Shirley Hodges for the information.

If you have an old Barry photograph you would like to see included, with information about what it depicts, email sha@barryanddistrictnews.co.uk