A GHOSTLY occurrence is just one of the incidents which has sparked a special local history evening, to be held in a West Devon pub this month.

The new landlords of the Walkhampton Inn are calling on village people to help them with a fascinating history project in which local knowledge will be vital.

Gordon and Jan Harris moved to the pub in November last year. The pub dates from the 17th century and their interest in its history and that of the village has been sparked by the depth of knowledge of their local customers ? and a visit by the pub?s resident ghost.

Gordon has worked all over the UK in a variety of pubs and hotels, some of which claimed to be haunted, but he said he was a total sceptic until moving to Walkhampton.

He said when the couple moved in with their three cats, there was an end room which the cats refused to enter.

?The pub was initially three cottages,? said Gordon. ?One night I went up into the non-smoking area, which would have been the third cottage, to put the lights off, and I found one of my cats and an old lady sitting there. She said ?Hello my dear? and then she was gone!?

Gordon said the vision happened within seconds ? but his cat is constantly sitting next to the old range in the room now.

?I was so shocked, I was tingling, like an electric shock. For somebody who has been a sceptic all my life, it was staggering. There are two ranges in that room, which came out of a house that was bombed in Portsmouth during the war. They are just for decoration, but there was a fire in one, which the old lady was sitting next to.

?I don?t remember her face, but she was sitting in a high-backed wooden chair, knitting? said Gordon.

He has been told that an old lady lived in the third cottage before it became part of the pub, and that she swore she would never leave her home.

?She was very welcoming,? said Gordon, who is hoping more history will be revealed in the months to come.

The couple are holding an open house on Tuesday January 27, when they hope everyone in the area will come and share their knowledge of Walkhampton ? and of the pub.

Gordon said: ?So many people were born in the village and have a great knowledge of it ? what we are trying to do is piece it all together. We never had the chance to have a hallo party when we got here because of Christmas, so this is a way of seeing people and hopefully getting them involved in the history project.?

Leaflets informing residents of the open evening and the history project have been distributed around Walkhampton.

The couple are likely to hold monthly meetings in future, in which people can bring along old photos and pictures and share their knowledge, which will be taped and transcribed.

During the first Walkhampton History Project (WHISP) night, there will be free cheese, wine and beer courtesy of Princetown, St Austell and Sharps Breweries and MJ Baker.

All are welcome ? the evening begins at 7.30pm.