IN a pioneering link for Britain's National Parks archaeologist Polly Groom has joined the staff of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
Twenty-five-year-old Polly is employed by Cambria Archaeology at Llandeilo, but under a new funding arrangement she will be working three days a week for the Park authority.
She will be based at the authority's new headquarters at Pembroke Dock and also working from Cambria's offices at Llandeilo.
Polly took an archaeology degree at Cambridge University followed by a MA at Bristol before joining Cambria and working at sites throughout West Wales. She is very excited about the new post.
"Pembrokeshire is a wonderful place for an archaeologist to work. It has such a variety of archaeological sites, representing different land-use at different times in the county's past.
"My role will address archaeology and the historic environment at several levels. I will be available to provide advice to the National Park Authority and also to the landowners and land managers who deal with historic sites on a day-by-day basis. I am also very much looking forward to working with the Park's field staff as their roles often bring them into contact with our archaeological past."
Polly's special interest is in landscape archaeology and she is keen to develop her interest by finding more about the formal parks and gardens which in centuries past were a feature around so many of the county's larger farms and houses.
"It is fascinating to discover bits of structures, or perhaps the remains of a folly, which link a site with its forgotten history," she added.
Polly will be working closely with fellow archaeologist Phil Bennett, the Park's archaeological heritage manager. Said Phil: "We are delighted that Polly has joined the authority. The link between Cambria and the Park authority is a first for Britain's National Parks."