Shipbuilding has a long history in Pembrokeshire and many Pembroke men found employment in the Royal Dockyard, founded in 1814. Even before then, boat building was a major occupation - the sea was the main highway for transportation of goods and demand for boats was great.

Cunnigar

One of the earliest local boatyards we know something about was that owned by Thomas Hurlow in that part of Monkton known as Cunnigar, west of Pembroke Castle. The old engraving pictured here, titled 'Pembroke Castle' by Paul Sandy, depicts a ship yard here as long ago as 1778. From David James's book, 'Down the Slipway,' I am informed that George Hurlow owned this shipbuilding and timber yard. He, and later his son Thomas, owned eight ships between 1802 and 1840 which engaged in the timber trade. One such ship was the Pembroke Castle built by J. Bevans, of Lawrenny. She regularly crossed the Atlantic Ocean transporting emigrants to Quebec and returning with timber to the Cunnigar shipyard.

All that is left of the old Cunnigar shipyard is the small building which served as the stores and office. This was later converted into a cottage, now sadly derelict.

There is little evidence of any other early shipyards: they required only a firm beach with deep water close inshore for ease of launching, a master shipwright and a score of men, who required few tools easily carried in a tool bag.

Hancock's

Shipyard

However, with the founding of the Royal Dockyard, we see the golden age of shipbuilding and many private yards sprang up along the Cleddau. One such yard was Hancock's shipyard on Front Street, Pembroke Dock, where ships have been built for over 200 years. Many local men served apprenticeships and worked there in those shipbuilding years and it is now the home of the West Wales Maritime Heritage Society, a society dedicated to the preservation of historic ships.

Secretary of WWMHS, David James, is a well-known writer of maritime history and he is now working on a new book about Hancock's Shipyard. He is keen to collect memories from people who worked there and has asked me to include his plea for information here.

Did you work at Hancocks?

By David James

"Much has been written about Pembroke Dock's marvellous Royal Dockyard by such eminent people as Lt Cdr Lawrie Phillips and Phil Carradice. However, no one has written about the busy little shipyard in Front Street that Hancock's occupied from 1920 until 1979. This yard is only a couple of hundred yards along the waterfront from the Royal Dockyard and is still popularly known as Hancock's yard: many local people served apprenticeships there.

As well as building ships, Hancock's also took a keen interest in their employees' social activities. The almost legendary Pembroke Borough AFC was almost entirely run by Hancock's men, both players and staff. In their heyday they held the professional Cardiff team to a goalless draw which was no mean achievement. One grumble was that Hancock's best welders and pipe fitters were often being headhunted by the professional football teams!

Did you work for Hancock's? Do you have any tales or anecdotes about life and work in the yard or in Elford's sawmills near Gordon Street?

Do you have any photographs of ships built by Hancock's and also photographs of the workers and their exploits. I feel that the people who made the yard run so efficiently should be recognised and their stories recorded as it is an important part of our history.

Some of the ships built in Hancock's

I had a long chat with Peter Hancock recently and we spoke of ships they'd built, including the the two last Neyland Hobbs Point Ferries the Cleddau Queen and Cleddau King and four Felicity Class water tractors - Fiona, Florence, Guinevere and Gwendoline - destined for Chatham Dockyard. The Cleddau King and the water tractors all used the revolutionary Voith Schneider propulsion system. One of the last ships built by Hancock's was Fastnet Rock in 1979, although it was actually built in the Royal Dockyard by Hancock's workforce as it was too large for the shipyard. This was one of four 1,500 tonne cargo carriers (Daunt Rock, Skellig Rock, Tuskar Rock) destined for R & H Hall in Ireland and used to carry grain, while the other two went to Irish Coal Distributors.

The company closed shortly afterwards. In the '70s, there was a tremendous amount of planning and attempts to keep the company afloat but, in the face of fierce foreign competition, it was not be.

As a local, I can remember seeing ships in the docks and the two wooden wrecks at the bottom of Gordon Street and the great stacks of timber - known locally as the baulks- air drying on the shore outside Elfords, later Hancock's sawmill.

Please help me to record these events as Pembroke Dock has a marvellous history that still has much to discovered before it is forever lost.

West Wales Maritime Heritage Society

This dock is currently occupied by the West Wales Maritime Heritage Society, who still repair vintage vessels in the yard. The repaired vintage vessels are often seen at major events on the Milford Haven waterway such as the Pembroke River Rally. The society also has aspirations to build a heritage centre here if permission can be granted and plans are afoot to restore the last Tenby Lugger for which Heritage Lottery funding is being sought.

If you would like to know more about the society, its work and of course this research project, please contact me, contact details below David James, email [email protected]">[email protected], telephone 01646 683764, postal address 44 West Haven, Cosheston, Pembroke Dock, SA72 4UL.

If you have any photographs of anything above I shall, with your permission, photograph them in your presence so that they will not get lost as they are your irreplaceable memories."

Next events

Today (Friday), 7.30 pm, at Monkton Priory Church Hall we have a quiz night and social - £4 includes buffet. Bring your own bottle if you wish.

Saturday, February 7, at Pembroke Town Hall, 10 am - 12.30 pm, we will be joined by WWMHS for a nostalgic look at those coastal trading days in Pembroke 'Remembering Kathleen and May.' Accompanied by a coffee morning.

Contact

If you have any stories, photographs or feedback for this column, please contact me, Linda Asman, on 01646 622428, email [email protected]">[email protected] and visit our website http://www.pembrokeandmonkonhistory.org.uk">www.pembrokeandmonkonhistory.org.uk