Memorial Hall
This hall is relatively recent, built on the site of the old hall which was demolished due to subsidence issues. Interestingly, when the former hall was built the workers had the plans the wrong way round. with the plain rear end facing the road.
The hall is used for yoga, Council meetings and other events and is also home to the Portreeve's Breakfast when the Portreeve, Aldermen, Court, guests and burgesses gather in the hall the Sunday after Big Court and eat cold meats and drink tea. Following this they walk to the Town Hall where robes are put on, flags are raised and the procession led by Halberdiers and Truncheon men set off to St Martin's Church in a grand parade (see below in 2018). Post-ceremony the rest of the day is spent jollying it up in the pubs of Laugharne.
Dylan Thomas was invited to the breakfast in 1953 but had to miss the event as he went to the US where he tragically died. The letter of apology was the last letter he wrote.
During the Laugharne Weekend the hall has held performances by Harry Hill, Ray Davies, Wobble & Levene's PiL, Alexi Sayle, Linton Kwesi Johnson
and many other luminaries. The pic above is of punk poet John Cooper-Clarke.
Soon after war broke out in 1939 Mrs Frances Hughes, wife of Richard of Castle House put on an entertainment for the Red Cross.
It was a 1929 farce in one act called The Devil Among The Skins by Ernest Goodwin, and is notable because Dylan Thomas played the role of 'Tanner'. Caitlin Thomas sold programmes.
And you may ask, why is the hall so tall? Because one of the advocates for the new hall was also a keen badminton player...
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