Exhibition - the Making of Henry at St Mary's Church

An exhibition of photographs showing the processes involved in the making of the Henry VII statue is currently on show in St Mary's Church, Pembroke.  Henry was baptised in St Mary's Church and here you can see a fine, stained glass window of the King by Thomas Kempe.

The unveiling of the Henry VII Statue on Saturday,June 10th

Photos of the unveiling by Martin Caveney

Despite the rain, crowds turned out on Saturday to the unveiling of the Henry VII statue - everyone appears delighted with our beautiful statue installed on the Mill Bridge and standing proud against the stunning backdrop of Pembroke Castle.  Our sculptor Harriet Addyman has done an amazing job, so talented - we are all so proud of her and what has been achieved for our town, the birthplace of the first Tudor monarch and the first Welshman to sit on the English throne.

 

Don't miss June 10th - the unveiling of the Henry VII statue!

Winners of Friday's Quiz Night

Winners of last Fridays Quiz Night were: (left to right) Lottie Howlett-John, Michael Howlett, Quiz master Rose Blackburn, Wendy George, Michele Carter and Graham George.

The £285 raised will be put towards a bench and memorial plaque to our much missed Pauline Waters and will be sited on Pembroke Mill Bridge where the statue of Henry VII will stand. Pembroke Town and the County Council have together undertaken the enhancement of the Mill Bridge to make it a public space with seating, tables and flowers - a lovely setting for our King, born in Pembroke Castle 1457.  Pauline was a founder member and trustee of the Pembroke&Monkton Local History Society and a passionate advocate of the Henry VII statue.  She was Mayor at the launch of the statue project and took a prominent part in raising its profile and in the Statue Fundraising Appeal for which our Society organised fundraising events.  The Committee wish to thank all who came to the Quiz for their support and to those who gave donations.

Quiz Night at Monkton Church Hall on Friday May 19th at 7.30pm

Following the William Marshal story in Pembroke Castle

Gareth Mills showing us the extent of William Marshal's original, stone castle

In the Henry VII Tower where a tableau depicts the birth of Henry Tudor

On Friday, Museum volunteers gathered in Pembroke Castle where they were met by Gareth Mills who continued the William Marshal story which he had begun in his previous talk at Monkton Church Hall on April 7th.  Here Gareth was able to demonstrate Marshal's building of the castle, transforming the original wooden fortress into an unassailable stone castle with its distinctive circular donjon or keep.  No visit to Pembroke Castle would be complete without a mention of Henry Tudor and the tour ended with a visit to the Henry VII Tower where Gareth gave his own take on the Tudor story.  An archaeological investigation has been carried out in Pembroke Castle recently to actually ascertain the actual birthplace of Henry Tudor.  It is now believed that he was born in a Tudor mansion within the castle, not in the tower - results of the survey have not yet been finalised.

Friday 7th April - William Marshal draws a large audience

On Friday evening in Monkton Church Hall, Gareth Mills drew a large audience to his talk on 'William Marshal: the Greatest Knight'.
William Marshal is one of the great heroes of British history - a man whose life would make an amazing epic.  Yet many have not heard of him!  A younger son of a minor noble, he rose to become champion of the tournament and mentor to 4 kings: Henry II, Henry the Young King, King Richard I (Lionheart) and King John. He was an architect of Magna Carta 1215. Finally he became Regent following the death of John who left a young heir Henry III.  William epitomized knightly virtues and was unswervingly loyal. He was also Earl of Pembroke and was responsible for building the castle in stone.