Pembroke & Monkton Local History Society will hold its next coffee morning and talk on Saturday, May 2 in Pembroke Town Hall.

There has been a change to the original programme: the advertised speaker has withdrawn, but Society Chairman Linda Asman will step in with a talk that is especially relevant to the group - ‘Monkton: A Hidden History’.

Linda was invited to give a similar talk to the Pembrokeshire History Society last October, following strong interest in the book she co-authored with Keith Johnson and many members of the old Monkton community who contributed their memories.

The Society was originally based in Monkton Church Hall and its very first public meeting was a walk through Monkton led by the late Pauline Waters. That event sparked the sharing of memories and photographs and the beginnings of a local archive.

The Society’s very first publication was ‘Monkton: A Sense of Place’, a leaflet written by Linda, illustrated by George Lewis and funded by Planed. Continued research eventually led to a full book that became so popular it is now out of print — though available to read online on the Society’s website.

Local History Societies play a vital role in preserving community heritage, and Monkton’s story is richer than many realise.

The talk will highlight its remarkable past – a nationally important cave, a Norman Priory, a busy quayside where once stood an impressive Georgian mansion with its terraced gardens still intact, a shipyard and ocean going ships arriving with timber from Nova Scotia.

With the establishment of Pembroke Dock the settlement grew rapidly with the building of the Victorian terraces to house the Dockyard workers and became a self-contained vibrant community, tragically torn apart with the demolitions of the 1960s. So much has disappeared but not forgotten.

Doors open at 10am for coffee followed by the talk at 11am. Open also for the event will be Pembroke Museum and Council Chamber, which are situated on the first floor of the Town Hall.

A lift is available for disabled access. Entry is free - proceeds from the coffee morning and raffle cover costs.

For more information, visit: www.pembrokeandmonktonhistory.org.uk