Friday, September 3, saw Pembroke and Monkton Local History Society in Pembroke Town Hall participating in the Civic Trust Wales Open Doors 2011, an event shared with Pembroke Civic Trust and Dyfed Family History Society.

Our main contribution was a large local history display reflecting much of the research we have been doing over the past year.

Of particular interest was the Main Street Project by Vicki Haggar who, having been born and brought up in the Main Street has made this her particular study.

She has amassed a vast amount of material based on memories, stories, photographs and has encouraged many local people to participate.

It has attracted great attention and continues to grow. We also provided the refreshments for the event and collected donations for the Mayor's Charity, Macmillan Cancer Support .

Vicki is a member of an eminent Pembroke family - Haggar's cinema was known and loved by many Pembroke people who still regret its loss to the community.

However, on October 14, Pembroke Town Hall will be the venue for our Haggar's Night when we will be celebrating the life and work of Pembroke legend William Haggar, pioneer filmmaker, and there will be an opportunity to view some of his groundbreaking movies.  

It will be presented by Sarah Haggar Batten, daughter of the late Roy Haggar, who was well-known to most of us. Sarah herself is a talented teacher at Milford Comprehensive School and has recently won acclaim for her school production of Macbeth at the Edinburgh Festival.  Haggar's Night promises to be a great evening.   

Our next event will take place tonight (Friday, September 16) at Monkton Church Hall 7.30 pm when Reg Williams will be recounting his exploits in '50 Years a Pembroke Postman'. 

His talk will be a mixture of memories and anecdotes together with archive photographs. 

Reg is a popular local character and when he spoke to us last year we were packed out!  As always, we do not charge for entry and afterwards there will be refreshments and time for a chat. All welcome!

Looking back to Past Times

We are always on the look out for old photographs and at our meetings and Saturday coffee mornings (held on the first Saturday of the month at Monkton Church Hall), we encourage people to bring in photographs which we can scan to add to our archive.

This week's photograph is from Pauline Waters (nee Jenkins).

This photograph, dating back to the 1950s, is of Monkton Priory Farm Riding School.

The lady leading the school is Sally Peel Hobson (married William Neil) and was known to many as a senior teacher at the Coronation School.

They are riding along Argyle Street and on the right would have been the old Grammar School, subsequently demolished. It is now the site of the doctor's surgery.

At the rear of the procession, riding the large bay (named Hayes Boy), is George Jenkins, of Priory Farm, and owner of the riding school.

George was a great Pembroke character, twice Mayor of Pembroke and Pauline's grandfather. If anyone recognises anyone else in the photograph, we would be pleased to hear from you.

Linda Asman

You can contact us on 01646 622428, email pembrokehistory @live.co.uk and visit our website http://www.pembrokeandmonktonhistory.org.uk">www.pembrokeandmonktonhistory.org.uk