Wander the streets of Narberth on a Saturday morning and you’ll no doubt come across local residents out and about, greeting their friends and neighbours, such is the community spirit of this pretty hillside town in Pembrokeshire.
Everyone knows everyone, it seems, which might explain why small businesses thrive here – and why, as a result, townsfolk and visitors are treated to an enviable collection of independent shops, mainly focused on food (there’s a food festival every September), but also antiques and interiors.
Narberth’s essence is captured in the colourful Edwardian and Georgian buildings that line its centre. The town’s old bank buildings, too, are a testament to this vibrant community – when the banks closed down, as they’ve done in market towns up and down the UK, the cavernous period buildings didn’t stand empty for long.
They were quickly filled with more independent businesses, including an antiques store, a fine-dining restaurant and an artisan bakery. There’s much to admire here, and Narberth also makes a perfect base from which to head south to the seaside village of Saundersfoot in search of more antiques and magnificent coastal views.
Shop
Useful & Beautiful Things
The stunning shopfront and pavement display lure you inside Mark and Ruth’s brilliant shop, which they opened in the former Barclays Bank building three years ago. The store has now become something of a mecca as well as an icon of Narberth, and the interior is fun to browse while music plays.
It’s one of those antiques stores in which you’re completely immersed as you move through the rooms, weaving your way around Welsh blankets, Ewenny pottery, apothecary chests, silver teapots, decorative tiles and more. 5 St James St; @usefulandbeautifulthings
Malthouse Antiques
Ah, the traditional antiques centre in a historic, rambling building – always up there as a must on any antiquing road trip. The Malthouse, which has been trading in Narberth for 30 years, really delivers on all fronts.
On the ground floor you’ll find glass cabinets filled with collectables, Art Nouveau lamps, brown furniture, and rails of vintage fashion in hidden little rooms. Upstairs, on its wonky floors, visitors are treated to more antiques, from Persian rugs and old maps to homeware and kitchenalia, prettily styled. Back Lane, behind Narberth High Street; malthouseantiqueswales.co.uk
Bazaar Home & Garden
It may be a little wander off the High Street, tucked away in a corner of town behind the supermarket, but this place – with several thousand square feet of rummaging and reminiscing on offer – is not to be missed.
A medley of vintage planters and plants signals you’re in the right place, then through the doors and there’s room-set after room-set, display after display. Shelves groan and dressers heave with pottery and books, vintage tools, decanters, and miscellaneous kitchenalia.
The Old Brewery, Spring Gardens; bazaarhomeandgarden.co.uk
Saundersfoot Vintage Antique 2020
A 16-minute drive south from Narberth brings you to the seaside village of Saundersfoot, where you’ll find this wonderful antiques store run by Belinda Brett, housed in an old Victorian school. Against a backdrop of period features, 16 dealers show off stock, which includes costume jewellery, colourful studio glass, chandeliers, French china, copper pots and much more.
The Old School, The Ridgeway; sva2020.com
The Antiques Shop
Behind the beach at Saundersfoot and running parallel to it is The Strand, a street of cafes and shops. Among the clutch is this traditional antiques shop, which sells a mix of furniture, collectables, jewellery, vintage handbags, pictures, and glassware.
Before you go hunting for some gelato, it’s worth popping in for a rootle, as you may find a Welsh hedgerow chair, a Victorian whatnot, or a charming French cupboard.
London House, The Strand; @theantiquesshopNarberth
Vintage, Antique & Makers Market
Most months you’ll find this bustling market taking over Queen’s Hall in Narberth; this month it falls on 20th July. A vintage tearoom also pitches up among the traders, so there are homemade cakes as well as vintage and handmade goodies. mischievouscowevents@gmail.com
Eat
Annwn
Chef Matt Powell opened this fine-dining restaurant in one of the closed-down banks in May 2023, and his highly acclaimed 10-course tasting menus are based on wild food, foraged or caught in the Pembrokeshire area.
Expect such delights as wild garlic preserved in its life cycle, meadowsweet cheese curds, and rosehip custard. 1 Market Square; annwnrestaurant.co.uk
Plumvanilla
A cheerful, boho cafe with a deli next door, Plumvanilla is a good pitstop before a day of exploring. The menu features Indian and Middle Eastern flavours, with dishes such as shakshuka, dosa and flatbread breakfasts. 2A St James St; @plumvanilla
Stay
Llareggub Beach House
What we so love about antiques and vintage pieces is how they can make a home individual. A perfect example is this self-catering house on the cliffs overlooking Saundersfoot harbour, furnished with vintage and reclaimed furniture and materials to create a quirky holiday let with mid-century modern vibes.
A family holiday home for more than 50 years, the house feels loved and cherished, with many of its features handmade. The open-plan living area on the central floor of this upside-down property is ideal for lounging with a book in between antiques shop snoops, although you’ll probably spend more time gazing out of the windows with their glorious floor-to-ceiling views of the harbour, beach and sea. chillderness.co.uk; @childernessescapes
Visit
Dylan Thomas Boathouse
Welsh poet Dylan Thomas lived on-and-off in the nearby town of Laugharne in the 1930s and ‘40s, residing in several properties. His last home before his death in New York in 1953 was the Boathouse, overlooking the Taf Estuary, which he moved into with his family in 1949.
An inspiring place surrounded by natural beauty, it was here that Thomas worked in his writing shed: a converted small wooden garage. Now a museum and tearoom, the house can be visited Thursday to Monday during the summer months. dylanthomasboathouse.com
Picton Castle Gardens
If a 13th-century castle and its beautiful walled garden don’t have you at ‘Hello’, perhaps its collection of antique and vintage lawnmowers will. The imposing Picton Castle dates back to medieval times and was developed into a stately home in the 18th century.
The gardens sprawl across 60 acres and comprise meadows, woodland, glasshouses, a jungle walkway and much more besides. pictoncastle.co.uk
Don’t miss
Stackpole, Stackpole Quay and Barafundle Bay Beach
National Trust-owned Stackpole is a Grade I-listed historic landscape within a 3,000-acre estate on the Pembrokeshire Coast, and is ripe for exploring. There was once a grand mansion, but this was demolished in 1963 following damage from two world wars. Half of the historic estate passed to the Trust and, today, this includes farm buildings, the wildlife haven Bosherston Lakes, a small harbour with a tearoom and miles of footpaths through woodland and along the coastline.
Barafundle Bay Beach – set between limestone cliffs and backed by dunes and woods, which can only be reached by a cliff path from Stackpole Quay – is worth the ramble, as the walker is rewarded with stunning scenery and an ancient atmosphere. nationaltrust.org.uk/stackpole