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.

August 7th - at the Pembroke Show

We had a stall at the Pembroke Town and Country Show - great show, so much to see and do and so well attended! Established in 1817, the Farmers Club has held the annual Pembroke and Country show for over 200 years.

At the going down of the sun ... Pembroke commemorates D_Day

Many Pembroke people assembled in Pembroke Castle to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day to watch the lighting of the Beacon by the Mayor of Pembroke, Cllr Ann Mortenson. Across the nation, beacons were lit at 9.15pm, at sunset, at the 'going down of the sun, and in the morning, we remember them'. The occasion was all the more moving, taking place against the backdrop of a beautiful sunset seen vividly from the Castle.