Pembroke Castle

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Pembroke Castle shown here in 1811.

Part of Pembroke Castle. The massive keep (on the left) was built in 1200 AD, its height is 23 metres (75 feet) and the walls at its base are 6 metres (19 feet) thick.

Pembroke Castle is a medieval castle in Pembroke, Wales.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Plan of the castle
4 External links

[edit] Geography

It is surrounded on three sides by the tidal River Cleddau, which made it a formidable stronghold.

[edit] History

The history of the site goes back at least to the Roman period, although there are no tangible signs available at present.

Located in the centre of the town of Pembroke, it is one of the most impressive Norman castles in south Wales, first established in 1093, when the Norman Conquest of Wales was far from complete.

In 1138, it became the property of Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke. Eventually it was given to Jasper Tudor along with the earldom, and he brought his widowed sister-in-law, Margaret Beaufort, to the castle to give birth to her only child, the future King Henry VII of England (1457).

Most of the damage to the castle was done during the English Civil War, when its owners changed sides at an inopportune moment. After the war Oliver Cromwell encouraged local townspeople to disassemble the structure, stone by stone. Today the castle is in the care of Cadw and open to the public. It is the largest privately owned castle in Wales.