In memory of good times spent at the Rath in Milford Haven, Pill boy Brian Phillips unveiled his crafting talent and an impressive scale model of the Rath pool which he lovingly finished during lockdown.
Cleverly positioned on the Rath for the best effect, the photograph of the miniature model against full scale surroundings is a convincing example of what the Rath pool (originally built in 1939 and demolished in 1987) looked like in the 60s., Brian spent much of his youth enjoying Milford’s natural playground and was instrumental in an appeal to save the adjacent paddling pool from closure in 2017.
The finished piece took a total of 8 months to complete and cost Brian three times more than he anticipated,
“It’s been a labour of love and frustration at times. I should put a thank you out to my wife for putting up with it on the kitchen table for so long. I cleared my shed to work on it but there just wasn’t enough room. I practically took over the whole kitchen at times.”
Brian has always enjoyed crafting and builds creativity into his hobbies where he can,
“I’ve been a crafty person from an early age although I’ve never built scale models. I’m a member of Samba Doc (Pembroke’s community samba band) and enjoyed making mine and the bands headdresses for our carnivals. I’ve also helped to design and build carnival floats for our local pub.”
“I did enjoy making it. The final version is ‘mark 3’. It started with a cardboard prototype and then I moved onto foam-board and plastic. Everything is scratch built apart from the figures.
I spent some time in the Pembrokeshire archives looking at plans. I say plans… I was expecting to see proper building plans with front/side elevations etc. but no, all they had was a basic plan/concept. Hence, I worked from photos, memory and measuring the remains of it to work from. The girls changing room is now a Chinese restaurant and the rest is what’s left of the water gardens.”
Spending quality time creating this masterpiece has ignited fond memories for Brian,
“So many memories from my childhood. I’m a Pill boy and growing up in this glorious part of Milford, we had a massive playground. In the summer it was the place to be, and my brother and I spent every available moment in there. It was the main attraction in the town and was the meeting place for all ages.”
The final model will eventually be placed on display in Milford Haven Museum, where Brian will be offering his services as a volunteer as activities return to ‘normal’.
To read more about Brian’s project and his childhood at the Rath pool, read the Milford Mercury article. Brian also hosts The Rath Swimming Pool Facebook Page.
