SCOLTON MANOR: £190k revamp will open up the hidden world below stairs

The manor house at Scolton Manor is getting a makeover of nearly £200,000 that will open up its below-stairs world, under a project name that borrows the Tardis’s famous boast.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s museum service has secured £191,475 from the Welsh Government for the scheme, topping it up with a 10% match from its own capital budget.

The two-year project, titled Scolton House: It’s Bigger on the Inside, will modernise the historic house near Haverfordwest to create what the council says will be a more welcoming, immersive and accessible experience.

Work starts in September. The first phase, due for completion by March 2027, delivers a new welcome and retail space at the heart of the house plus digital interpretation, in time for the 2027 tourist season.

The second phase runs from April 2027 to March 2028, and it’s the one that changes what visitors can actually see: the servants’ quarters and cellar, long underused, will be turned into fully accessible interactive spaces.

The house’s turn has been a while coming. The park outside has had years of investment, from the zip wire and eco-explorer village to the steam locomotive Margaret, while many of the displays inside the manor date back to the 1990s, the council says.

The new welcome hub will double as a retail space, which the council says will support local suppliers.

Touchscreen displays will bring to life the people, objects and stories behind the house, and museum staff describe the building as a “heritage time machine”, with visitors stepping through the front door to travel across generations of Pembrokeshire’s past.

‘Much more to Scolton House than first meets the eye’

Cllr Rhys Sinnett, the council’s cabinet member for residents’ services, said the investment would “not only preserve and celebrate Pembrokeshire’s rich history but also help attract more visitors to the estate, supporting the long-term sustainability of one of the county’s most popular heritage attractions”.

“When the project is complete in 2028, visitors can look forward to discovering that there really is much more to Scolton House than first meets the eye,” he said.

“From elegant Victorian drawing rooms to hidden servants’ spaces below stairs, the experience promises to reveal a house that is, quite literally, bigger on the inside.”

The grant came from a Welsh Government museums funding round in April, which the government says reflects its commitment to placing culture and heritage at the heart of Welsh life.

Heledd Fychan, the Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport, said museums, libraries and archives “are at the heart of our communities across Wales”. “This investment will make a real difference, protecting vital collections, improving access and ensuring our cultural spaces are fit for the future,” she said.

For now, the manor’s below-stairs rooms stay behind closed doors. From 2028, the people who kept the house running will finally get their share of the story.