‘Pembrokeshire Remembers’ At Scolton Manor

Scolton Manor will be hosting a series of special exhibitions this summer to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.

The infamous battle in 1916 – which was intended to be the decisive campaign of World War One but led to many thousands of casualties over a five month period instead – will be commemorated at the Victorian Manor from the 4th July to 30th September.

The Manor House will be going back in time to the summer of 1916, with an exhibition entitled ‘In Memoriam: Johnny’.

The house will be displayed as it might have been after the death of Johnny Higgon, the eldest son and heir.  The owner of Scolton Manor at the time, Edith Higgon, put the house ‘into mourning’ after the death of her eldest son, having already lost one son to the War. Visitors will notice a very different atmosphere to the usual friendly and homely feel.

The second exhibition, ‘The Glorious War?’ will tell the story of the war through the eyes of the three Higgon boys, using original objects, documents and photographs.

The centrepiece will be the story of ‘The Battle of the Somme’. The cellar of the house will be turned in to a recreation of an officers’ dug-out at the Somme, complete with items belonging to the three soldier sons of the house which were used during their time on the Western Front.

The centenary commemorations also offer the opportunity to view an unique film.

This year, Imperial War Museums (IWM) is working with Scolton Manor to show the UNESCO listed film The Battle of the Somme.

Shot and screened in 1916, it was the first feature length documentary about war and changed the way both cinema and film was perceived by the public.

In the year of its release around 20 million people, almost half the population of Britain at the time, watched The Battle of the Somme, many hoping to see the image of a loved-one, or friend captured on film.

One hundred years later, the film – from the IWM’s collection – is being shown to commemorate the anniversary of the battle.

The film features a soundtrack with music composed by Laura Rossi, and performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Scolton Manor will be showing the film throughout July and August in the Empire Room of the Manor House, alongside ‘The Glorious War?‘ exhibition.

The exhibition is open daily between 11am and 5pm, and is included in the normal admission price for the Manor House: £3.50 for adults, £2.35 for concessions and children over 4 years and £9.35 for a family ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children).

For more information, please contact Catriona Hilditch (Collections Officer) on 01437 731 328, or e-mail catriona.hilditch@pembrokeshire.gov.uk.

• For more information about the First World War Centenary Partnership’s plans to commemorate the Battle of the Somme, visit www.1914.org