Joining in the Jubilee Celebrations

Our exhibition in the Castle

On the big screen

Decorating an empty shop window in Pembroke Main Street

We have been getting into the spirit of the Jubilee celebrations. Our last exhibition was on a Royal theme and this week we have been in the castle this week putting up our exhibition “Royal Visits and Celebrations”. The exhibition looks back to Pembroke’s prestigious past: our small town once played a large part in our nation’s history and was well worthy of Royal notice. Pembroke was even the birthplace of a king, King Henry VII. In more modern times its importance waned but, with an important Dockyard on its doorstep, Royalty again came to visit.

Our exhibition is in the Henry VII Tower, no less, so pop in to see us if you come along to any of the Castle’s many events being staged for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Week.
Many of the images were put into a PowerPoint and this was shown on the big screen. during the Castle festivities

We also decorated an empty shop window (by permission of the owners Browns Fish&Chips) with photographs and memorabilia. 

May 20th: We ride out on the Range



Flimston farmhouse



picnic time

On Sunday 20th, we went out on the Range with the National Parks Education Service. Our guide was Pete Crane and we visited Flimston, Pricaston and Brownslade Farm (the house has been completely demolished). What a great loss: buildings dating back to Mediaeval times and productive farms, now in ruins in an uncultivated landscape. And such a breathtaking coastline, now out of bounds.
We learnt a lot: Pete is an archaeologist and showed us a hillfort, bronze burial mound and even WW2 relics.  Did you know that Frainslake Sands was used to rehearse the DDay landings?
It was a hugely enjoyable day, with good companionship and to cap it all, the sun shone allowing us to fully take in the beauty of the landscape.

18th May: Castlemartin: life after the military requisition

Ann Lankshear introduces the evening's proceedings

Participants in the event

 Ann Lankshear organised the proceedings which drew a large crowd of 76 people, such is the interest still in this event which happened so long ago. It is Ann’s aim to bring people together to pool information and to record the stories, collecting information and photographs of the farms and cottages.

In 1939 the War Office made a decision which was to affect many people who lived here: it was decided that land be requisitioned for use as a tank training range. As with all decisions made from above a price has to be paid, and many families in the Castlemartin area paid heavily for it. Uncovering the human story was the aim of our meeting on Friday, when some of the people who had been affected by the requisition were invited to come forward to give their stories.

Next Events

Royal Pembroke - exhibition on Saturday May 5th

We made Saturday a right royal occasion by making ‘Royal Pembroke’ the theme for our Coffee Morning exhibition.  With the Diamond Jubilee imminent we have been collecting material around Royal visits to Pembroke and encouraging people to bring in anything they may have. 

 Pembroke has great Royal connections in its prestigious past and the exhibition traced these back over the centuries. Moving towards more modern times, the earliest photographs we have found were taken, I believe, of the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh who came to Pembroke Dock in 1892 to  launch  the ship ‘Edinburgh’. They also travelled to Pembroke and the town was gaily decorated with flags, and amazing arches for their visit. 

We have photographs of subsequent royal visits and are always on the look out for more.  For our part in the Jubilee celebrations we will be showing these in the Henry VII Tower in the Castle – it does take a lot of time and effort to mount an exhibition and it is good to be able to exhibit the lovely old photographs in a place where many more people can see and enjoy them.  

Rotary Club of Pembroke's Charity Fayre

Saturday 27th April saw us participating in the Rotary Club of Pembroke’s Charity Fayre.  This gave us an opportunity, along with many other charities in Pembroke, to demonstrate what we are about and to publicise our work.  We put together a small exhibition to show the various projects we are engaged in and to invite you, the community, to participate with your memories and photographs.  It was a busy day chatting to visitors and we gave out a great many of our heritage leaflets, programmes of events and even colouring sheets for the children (based on George Lewis’ Town Hall murals).  Many thanks to the Rotary Club for the donation of £50 towards our funds.