Haverfordwest Library to display Waldo Williams sculpture

A bust of Waldo Williams, a renowned Welsh poet and pacifist created by John Meiron Morris, is set to be displayed in the Gallery at Glan-yr-Afon in Haverfordwest Library until October 11, 2025.

The sculpture is on temporary loan from Cymdeithas Waldo.

Waldo Williams, born in Haverfordwest in 1904, is celebrated as one of the most influential Welsh-language poets of the 20th century, having published a single poetry volume, Dail Pren (Tree Leaves).

He learned Welsh in the Preseli hills, where he spent his later boyhood, and it became the medium for his profound thoughts.

Williams was a committed pacifist and a Quaker who found himself imprisoned twice by Haverfordwest Magistrates.

Forgoing cars, he instead appreciated cycling around Pembrokeshire.

He was known for being playful, good-humoured, and visionary.

Williams later returned to Haverfordwest, where he died on Ascension Day in 1971.

The sculpture will briefly be unavailable for viewing for a few days from September 25, as it is scheduled to be displayed at Aberystwyth University for the annual Cymdeithas Waldo Lecture.

A newly commissioned plaque commemorating Williams’ ties to his hometown and Prendergast School, where he spent his early years, will be unveiled at Pembrokeshire Archives in Prendergast on September 30 at 5.30pm.

The Gallery at Glan-yr-Afon is presented in partnership with the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth.

The public can also enjoy the ongoing exhibition CYFOES: Celf Cymru Heddiw – Contemporary Welsh Art, featuring a diverse range of works from the National Art Collection.

These include paintings, sculptures, and mixed-media pieces by both established and emerging artists.

A permanent exhibition, Pembrokeshire: Past and Present, provides an insight into the county’s history, culture, and landscape.

This exhibition includes a photograph of Waldo Williams with pupils at Goodwick Primary School in the late 1960s, taken by Julian Sheppard.

Both exhibitions, along with the Waldo Williams sculpture, continue until Saturday October 11 2025.