A north Pembrokeshire village pub provided refuge to the Emperor of Ethiopia and the messiah of the Rastafarian movement, according to new research.

Stories about the pub have emerged as the local football club campaigns to buy it for the community with a community share offer.

Research has suggested that the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, considered 'god incarnate' by the Rastafarian religion, stayed at the pub in 1937.

He fled Ethiopia after Italy invaded in 1936.

It is believed that the Emperor stayed at the Crymych Arms for a short period of time as a refugee, before moving to Bath.

The pub has a long and illustrious history. It is thought to be the site of the first building in Crymych. The Crymych Arms name first appears on the 1861 census although a building is shown on the 1812 enclosure map.

Western Telegraph: The pub plays an important part in the history of the village.The pub plays an important part in the history of the village. (Image: Crymych Arms community share offer committee)

It closed during the pandemic and its absence at the heart of the village has been strongly felt.

There is now an opportunity for investors to help continue its story by investing in a community share offer which closes at the end of this month.

The minimum needed to be raised in shares is £175,000. On May 20 the sum in the bank stood at £174,300.

The total needed for outright purchase is £275,000 and the committee members have been busy submitting grant applications and a fall back situation of loan funding.

The committee is now pushing to draw in a final set of investors to reach a 75 percent target of £206,250 before the end of the month.

The business plan outlines the proposal to pay three percent gross to all investors following the first full year of trading.

Western Telegraph: The community share offer is open until the end of May.The community share offer is open until the end of May. (Image: Crymych Arms)

After the revelation about Emperor Haile Selassie, the committee is eager to hear stories from near and far about the historic pub and will then have a display on site depicting the history of the area and the building.

A final drop-In session will be held this Saturday, May 27, from 11am to 1pm at the Crymych pub for local people to deposit their cheques.

The recent drop-in sessions have seen great support with people donating items for a grand raffle to be drawn in the autumn.

Many people have said that they want to support the fundraising campaign but do not want shares.

There is now a Crowdfunding site registered on the JustGiving website to allow people to donate towards the purchasing fees.