The Rosemarket schoolhouse was the focal point for much of the village entertainment from its construction in 1878 through to the opening of the village hall after the First World War.

Many entertaining and charitable concerts were held at the school.  This included raising money for the workhouse and those who were less fortunate. On occasions, there were events held which were so popular that it could not cope with the numbers of people who wished to attend them, with people having to be turned away.

The village hall was regularly used by the school for concerts performed by its pupils and was attended by parents, family friends and villagers. In addition to this, school Christmas parties were held there annually. It was also a venue for wedding receptions. Couples were married in the Chapel or St Ismael's Church and often held their receptions in the village hall, in an era before hotels and other establishments became popular. Additionally in these earlier decades, and before televisions became available to most homes, there were regular variety shows held by touring groups from other towns and villages throughout the county.

Concerts and old time music hall shows were frequent. Usually at these events the hall would be full to capacity. In the summer months in these early years there were also visits from a travelling cinema group which brought a portable screen for the performances. This was an opportunity to see a Hollywood movie without having to travel by bus to one of the large cinemas in nearby towns.

St Ismael's Church held its annual harvest sales there and usually with a large capacity audience. The village groups of Girl Guides, Brownies, Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts regularly met in the village hall, and from time to time put on performances for villagers. There was a thriving youth club for many years and weekly bingo sessions. 

Many of these activities and entertainments sadly began to decline during the 1980’s, although occasional concerts and weekly bingo continued for some years.

Click here to read more about entertainment at Rosemarket School, including newspaper articles

Village Carnival
Village carnivals were held annually in the summer months during the 1960s and 1970s. A village Carnival Committee was formed, with much support throughout the village. On carnival day, many homes along the route were decorated with flags and bunting.

Processions began at the top of the village, proceeded down Front Street and then up Middle Street to The Beacon where festivities continued through the afternoon and the judging was also held.

Typically about half a dozen floats on local tractors and trailers and a lorry or two took part, all loaned by local farmers and people. These were followed by adults and children walking in fancy dress and costumes. This event generated fun and excitement throughout the village. 

Church Fete
The annual church fete was held in the Dovecote Field with the final one taking place in 2019 when attendances were sadly declining. They were held there for a number of years as the owner Mrs Fan Harries, her husband George and son Colin were good supporters of the St Ismael's Church. Sadly all three have now passed away, and the property and field were sold.

At its height these were attended by a couple of hundred people in mid-July each year. The event became quite a village focal point and on one occasion, local radio came and broadcast live from the field on the Saturday afternoon.

There were lots of fun activities for children, a large bouncy castle, face painting and various games, as well as stalls selling cakes, bric-a-brac etc. There was also a large marquee for afternoon teas.

Anything left over was then sold at a very humorous auction in The Huntsman pub a few evenings later when local farmers etc would attend and be encouraged to bid against each other in the spirit of fundraising for the church.

Gift Day Concert
An annual Gift Day concert was held in St Ismael's Church in mid-June. Typically these featured local choirs, including Haverfordwest Male Voice Choir, Roch Choir, Pembroke and District Choir or the Neyland Ladies Choir. On occasions, instead of a Choir there would be a local concert when children and adults from the village and surrounding areas would sing solos or duets or play instruments such as the violin, piano or guitar. In earlier years, the church would be full to capacity for these events but in the more recent years, and like everywhere else, the audiences eventually declined significantly, people choosing to stay at home rather than come out to a choral event.

Christmas Carols
A group of twenty or more from St Ismael's Church would walk around the village and its outskirts for several evenings with lanterns and sing Christmas carols, stopping at various locations.

Often villagers would come out of their homes to listen and even join in with the singing. The group would also travel to the farms outside of the village at Westfield Mill, Norton, Bastleford and Furzehill etc where they were often invited inside by the farmers for some food and drink.

Rosemarket Country Club
Rosemarket Country Club (also referred to as the Social Club), was located in West Street. It was built and opened in the 1960s, and within a short time became a very popular venue and not just from the village but with audiences from much further afield. It was frequently full to capacity several nights each week. There was a regular in-house band, a games room with a roulette wheel, and a large stage in the main hall of the venue. There were frequent concerts, variety shows and talent contests.

Click here to read more about Rosemarket Country Club