Pembroke and Monkton Local History Society are pleased to announce that they have been awarded a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund for their latest project which will result in the publication of a new book ‘Monkton – a Hidden History’.

“We have long felt that the history of Monkton has been neglected, being in the shadow of Pembroke, which is obviously one of the most historic towns in Wales,’ said Pembroke Mayor Linda Asman, who is also Chair of the History Group.

“But Monkton has a rich history in its own right dating back to prehistoric times and encompassing the rise and fall of Pembroke Priory, the Civil War when Cromwell located his cannons here, the building of the Victorian terraces of Priory Mains to house Dockyard workers and the restoration of the Priory Church.”

Lesser-known information has already come to light, such as the surprising fact that Monkton was a centre of the Mormon religion in the 1850s, with one of only three Mormon chapels in Wales.

And research into the village’s maritime past has revealed that it once had a thriving shipbuilding yard and that timber from Canada was imported to Monkton quay.

Proudly independent of its larger neighbour, Monkton was virtually a self-contained community for over a century with shops and tradesmen of every kind, farms and quarries, schools and pubs and regular livestock fairs in the village street.

Sadly, much of the character of the village was lost in the early 1960s when the local council decided to bulldoze most of the old terraces and replace them with a modern housing estate, so that one aim of the project is to unearth as many old photos and memories as possible in order to recreate the ‘old’ Monkton.

“Obviously the middle of a pandemic is not the ideal time to be launching a project of this nature, since so many public archives are closed and we can’t hold open meetings to tap into people’s memories,” continued Linda.

“However we are fortunate in that we already have a large bank of information and photographs in our own archives that we have gathered over the years, and that is providing a solid basis to work from.

“We have formed a small steering committee to oversee the project, and have invited contributions from local historians such as Terry John, Father Gildas and Keith Johnson, who will also be editing the book.”

If anyone has any information or photos about Monkton village which they think might be of interest, then please email: [email protected] or [email protected]. 

Alternatively ring Linda Asman on 07584 429224 or Liz Jenkins on 01646 684277.