Dr Simon Hancock
Curator and Manager
Curator and Manager of the Haverfordwest Town Museum since 1998.
ABOUT US
Haverfordwest Town Museum first opened in 1996 and succeeded the county council museum at the castle which closed due to budgetary pressures in 1994.
Collect, Conserve & Interpret Artefacts
We were set up in a groundswell of public support from individuals, Haverfordwest Town Council, the Civic Society and local businesses. We were the first organisation in Wales to secure a Heritage Lottery Grant to set up the museum. Our aim is to collect, conserve and interpret artefacts relating to Haverfordwest, one of Wales’ most historic towns whose origins stretch back to circa 1110.
We promote the rich history of Haverfordwest to give pride in the community and a sense of place. We have a variety of displays which are regularly changed and we engage with local schools and the Pembrokeshire College. The museum, a registered charity (1072596), is run by a board of trustees and we depend upon volunteers to run the museum day to day. Most of the volunteers are in the museum reception although we have others who assist with IT and graphic design.
For the past 27 years the museum has operated out of Castle House, the old governor or gaoler’s house in the grounds of Haverfordwest Castle, reminding us how the county prison was located there up to 1878. However with the start of the Heart of Pembrokeshire project, consolidating the castle walls, putting an entertainment space within the inner bailey of the castle and converting the old records office (formerly the prison and then police station) into a state of the art tourist attraction, the museum has had to relocate.
We are currently operating at Units 24 and 25, The Riverside, Haverfordwest, SA61 2LJ. We will be here until at least 2027 and will be open 1 March to the end of October half term each year. Entry is free and our first season at our new location has been a great success.
Meet Our Team
Ted Sangster
Chair of Haverfordwest Castle CIO
Ted is the chair of the Haverfordwest Castle CIO, a charity set up in 2024 that will in due course manage the Haverfordwest Castle site under the terms of a lease with the owners, Pembrokeshire County Council when the current redevelopment is completed by the Council probably in 2027/8. In preparation for that the existing and long-established Town Museum with its curator, team of volunteers and collection will be merged into the CIO, continuing to operate very much as it does now until it moves back to the castle site in completely refurbished premises in the Governor’s House as an integral element in the new, all year round visitor attraction that tells the story of Haverfordwest and Pembrokeshire.
AWARDS
The museum holds full Accreditation status demonstrating that we meet national standards in terms of artefact acquisition, documentation, conservation, security, personnel management and financial stability.
The museum is an Accredited Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Service (VAQAS) Attraction.