Pembroke Castle

Pembroke Castle is a substantial medieval complex, encompassing outer and inner wards defended by curtain walls and towers. The castle's origins date to around 1093, with significant development through the 13th and 14th centuries.

The outer ward is entered via the Barbican Gate, reconstructed in the 1880s, and the Great Gatehouse, of mid-13th century origin and also restored in the 1880s. Flanking the gate are round towers: the Bygate Tower, with its front wall rebuilt in 1934, and the Barbican Tower, which was destroyed between 1648 and 1649 and restored in 1930. Sections of the outer ward walls to the west were significantly rebuilt in the 20th century; earlier, in the 17th century, the walls were thickened and towers were slighted after 1648. The Henry VII Tower, rebuilt in 1929, is traditionally considered the birthplace of Henry VII; Leland in the 16th century noted a commemorative fireplace within displaying Tudor arms. Steps in front of the tower were rebuilt in 1929, as was the Westgate Tower between 1929 and 1931. The walls then run north to the western corner of the inner ward, incorporating Monkton Tower and a postern gate. On the north side of the Great Gatehouse, the walls run north to the Northgate Tower, restored in 1934, and then turn west over the Mill Pond to St. Anne's Bastion. This late 13th-century projection is a long, narrow platform with a turret at each end and a postern gate to the south. A ruinous building on the bastion was restored in 1929 and converted into a small residence in 1933.

Much of the inner ward's curtain wall has been lost, but footings remain of an early 13th-century D-plan Inner Gate to the left, and the Dungeon Tower to the right, a mid to later 13th-century addition with a latrine turret. The Great Keep, built around 1204, is a massive circular tower considered the finest in Britain and featuring a domed vault; it was restored in 1928-30. The Norman Hall to the northeast, possibly dating to the late 12th century, was restored in 1933, and comprises walls of a first-floor hall over an unvaulted basement. A solar block attached to one side was constructed in the 13th century and altered in the 15th. A Great Hall of around 1300 stands parallel on the other side, with a rock-cut stair leading down to the Wogan Cavern below. The Great Hall is on the first floor; the basement is unvaulted and has fine traceried windows, reminiscent of Monkton Priory. A small chamber and latrine turret are at the end. Between the Keep and Norman Hall are the remains of a single-storey building, the Chancery, possibly from the 14th century. Against the western corner of the inner ward is a narrow vaulted chamber, dating to the 13th or 14th century, known as the Western Hall, with parallel remains identified as a possible chapel. The cliff edge curtain wall is early 13th century, featuring a square northern turret. The Wogan Cavern below has a front wall incorporating some herringbone masonry of uncertain date.