Pembroke Castle Christmas Market

Great weekend at Pembroke Castle's Christmas Market! As always thousands descended on Pembroke for the event and lovely to meet so many at our stall. We were able to raise funds for our museum with the sale of books and merchandise - the star attraction was our magnificent Christmas hamper for which we sold many tickets. The raffle took place in Pembroke Town Hall on the Monday morning and was drawn by our Town Crier, Cllr Gareth Jones. The winning ticket was 251 on the green and the lucky winner was Mrs Elizabeth Hurley of East Williamston. Congratulations!

Saturday November 2nd - Nathen Amin talk on his latest book 'Son of Prophecy: the Rise of Henry Tudor'

Saturday’s talk by Tudor author Nathen Amin attracted a very large audience of around 120 people. Nathen gave an impressive talk in which he introduced his latest book: ‘Son of Prophecy: the Rise of Henry Tudor’ and many queued up afterwards for the book signing. Nathen has been a friend of our Society since meeting him all that time ago in October 2015 when we, as part of Pembroke Town Council’s Regeneration Committee, launched the Henry VII statue campaign – I have included the photo below. It was the time when the late Pauline Waters was our Mayor and George Lewis our President: both sadly missed by us all. Also in the picture with Nathen (right hand side of the photo) are authors Tony Riches and Terry Breverton who, on that occasion gave the talk and introduced his own latest book ‘Jasper Tudor’ together with Society Trustees Linda Asman and Rose Blackburn. Nathen had campaigned for many years for a statue of Henry VII and had petitioned the Welsh government in vain, but with a start up grant of £20,000 from PCC we raised the necessary funding with exceedingly generous donations from the community and Valero. Our sculptor Harriet Addyman was also responsible for our stunning William Marshal statue.

So, a really successful and enjoyable event but the last one this year. We meet again on Saturday January 11th (we usually meet on the first Saturday of the month but in January that is always booked for the panto) when Stephen Scale will be joining us to talk on ‘Carew Castle; its Owners and Builders’.

Saturday October 5th - we begin our 2024/25 Programme of Talks

On Saturday 5th October, we welcomed back Gareth Mills to open the first meeting of our 2024/25 programme of talks. And what a great response! Gareth is a popular speaker but I think this was the largest gathering yet with well over 100 attending. The title of Gareth’s talk was 'A History of the Stackpole Estate'- a place of great local interest, much loved by us all. In brief - The estate centred on Stackpole Court, a stately home which stood just outside Stackpole village. The Court was owned by the Lort family, but in 1698 passed by marriage to the Campbells, Thanes of Cawdor in Scotland. In the 18th century the original Court was rebuilt in Georgian style, surrounded by a walled garden and greenhouses. The Campbell- Cawdors became one of the most important and wealthiest families in Great Britain during the 19th Century. After the family's decline in the early 20th Century the estate was used during WWII as a military training area. After the war the Campbell's returned to their Scottish estates, and the mansion was tragically torn down in 1963, leaving the estate's beaches, parkland, and outbuildings, however, to be administered by the National Trust for public enjoyment.

LANDSKER LEGENDS: Pembrokeshire Museums' Festival

We are participating in a week of Museum activities beginning Monday September 30th and ending Saturday October 5th when we will be meeting in Pembroke Town Hall for our monthly Talk and Coffee Morning. We open at 10am for coffee and an opportunity to visit the Museum and Council Chamber; then assemble in the George Lewis Room for the talk at 11am. We welcome back popular speaker Gareth Mills for this, our first meeting of our 2024/25 programme, and the title of his talk is 'A History of the Stackpole Estate'.

Quiz Night September 13th

We began our 2024/25 Programme of Events with a Quiz Night in Pembroke Town Hall on Friday September 13th - unlucky for some! But successful for others! Congratulations to our winning team as competition was fierce with 50 competing. Many thanks to June Wilcocks and Mary Willington for organising a very enjoyable evening complete with a lovely buffet. Thanks also to our Quizmaster Rose Blackburn.

Our Autumn Programme starts on September 13th

Pembroke & Monkton Local History Society’s Autumn programme begins with a Quiz Night and Buffet next Friday evening September 13th in Pembroke Town Hall at 7pm. Doors open at 6.30pm and entry is £5 payable at the door. The ticket price includes a buffet - coffee and tea are provided but you may bring your own bottle if you wish.

Pembroke River Rally - Saturday August 17th

Pembroke's River Rally was a great success with around 70 craft taking part to sail up the Pembroke River to the Castle Pond led by the WWMHS boat 'Heritage'. On the South Quay a large crowd greeted the boats, attended by Pembroke's Mayor (Cllr Ann Mortenson} and Town Crier (Cllr Gareth Jones). Pembroke has a great maritime heritage and, although the days of the Coastal trade are a distant memory, the annual River Rally is there to remind us. The construction of the barrage across the Pembroke river blocked the way to shipping and the River Rally came about to establish the right to navigate the Pembroke River. The West Wales Maritime Heritage Society was asked by the Mayor of Pembroke to organise the very first Pembroke River Rally in 1995. The Society calculates when the tide will allow the event to take place, arranges a flagship for the Mayors of Pembroke and Pembroke Dock and a flotilla of boats to provide a spectacle and mark Pembroke's maritime History. This is done once a year to keep the rights of navigation alive for those who sail the Pembroke River and who wish to enter the Castle Pond.