Monkton’s fascinating and much-neglected history will soon be unveiled to locals following the publication a new book examining the area’s wealth of yesteryear, stretching way back to the Stone Age.
Written by Linda Asman and Keith Johnson, with contributions from local people, ‘Monkton – a Hidden History’ encompasses a wealth of the area's history including the rise and fall of Pembroke Priory, the Civil War when Cromwell located his cannons in the area, the building of the Victorian terraces of Priory Mains which were used to house the Dockyard workers and the restoration of the Priory Church.
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Whilst researching the book, some lesser-known information emerged such as the surprising fact that Monkton was once a centre of the Mormon religion in the 1850s and had one of only three Mormon chapels in Wales. And research into the village’s maritime past revealed that it once had a thriving shipbuilding yard when timber from Canada was regularly imported to Monkton Quay.
Proudly independent of its larger neighbour, namely Pembroke, Monkton was virtually a self-contained community for over a century with shops and tradesmen of every kind as well as farms and quarries, schools and pubs and regular livestock fairs held in the village street. Sadly, much of the village character 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.
“ Our very first publication was a pamphlet called 'Monkton: a Sense of Place' which was funded by Planed and since then, it has long been our aim to publish a detailed history of Monkton,” said Linda Asma, chair of the Pembroke and Monkton Local History Society.
“Now, thanks to a grant from Heritage Lottery Wales, we’ve been able to achieve this.”
The book is dedicated to one of the Society’s leading members, the late Pauline Waters.
The book will be launched at Pembroke Castle’s Christmas Market where the History Society will have a stall which runs from Friday, November 25 to Sunday, November 27. Further information can be found on email pembrokehistory@live.co.uk or on www.pembrokeandmonktonhistory.org.uk
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