PLANS for a statue of Pembroke’s very own king Henry VII on the Mill Pond Bridge took a step further last Saturday (Oct 3)  when a large audience gathered to hear Welsh author Terry Breverton deliver a well informed talk on the Tudors and Pembroke.

Also present was Tudor historical fiction author and Pembrokeshire native Tony Riches and Tudor historian Nathan Amin.

A brief introduction was given by town Mayor Pauline Waters who stressed the importance the support of the town council for the project. A presentation was then given by Linda Asman Chairman of the local History Society who has been largely responsible for the development of the campaign to date.

Following Terry Breverton’s insightful address all present were invited to look at an initial mock up of the proposed statue and to make their views known to those wanting to make it a vital part of any future tourist attraction in the town..

Expressing her delight at the project and Saturday’s turn out Pembroke’s Mayor Pauline Waters said “It is fantastic. The number of people here shows that we really do want this statue in the town. We are trying to put Pembroke on the map through our history which is one of main selling points”

And she continued, “Linda Asman and her husband have been magnificent. They have travelled throughout the whole of Wales as part of this project and we look forward to seeing it finally completed. If it wasn’t for her there would be no statue. And we have to offer our sincere thanks to Pembrokeshire County Council who looking to match fund our fund raising and Pembroke Town Council too for all their support. It is hugely appreciated”

Linda Asman, Chair of the Monkton and Pembroke History Society hopes that the miniature will be ready by the end of the year and that serious fund raising can begin in 2016. “This has been an amazing turnout she said and proof that there is a great deal of support for the project. I’m determined we are going to get there and I would also like to sincerely thank Pembrokeshire County Council who are supportive of the Town Enhancement Programme as well the Town Council with who have commissioned the miniature and with whom we work very closely”

“We’ve given out the forms in the hope we will get feedback because we want the final statue to be appealing and attractive not controversial. We want it to look right. And it’s important to remember that this is more than a statue there is also a plinth and we want to enhance the Mill Bridge area. It’s a huge project but I am determined we are going to get there.”
Adding his support Nathan Amin author, of “Tudor Wales” said, “I feel very positive about this initiative, I have campaigned for a statue in the past. West Wales is a hotbed of Tudor history with its castles and houses and we do need to promote it as a region. It will be a wonderful tourist attraction for the area. It is certain that should a statue be sited on this bridge, the backdrop of the castle would ensure this monument’s location would be one of the most spectacular in the country. It would give an overt and obvious indication of the importance of the castle to the Tudor story and could prove to be a lucrative marketing aspect for Tudor addicts. It is all very well having exhibitions inside, but the key is attracting people to the area in the first place, and a statue would certainly do that. If anyone wants any more information on the Tudors they could Google the Henry Tudor Society or visit our Face book page”.