Pembroke, Pembrokeshire
Encyclopedia
Pembroke is an historic settlement and former county town
of Pembrokeshire
in west Wales
. The town and the county derive their name from that of the cantref of Penfro
: Pen = "head" or "end", and bro = "region", "country", "land", and so it means essentially "Land's End".
The main point of interest in the town is the magnificent Pembroke Castle
, the remains of a stone mediæval castle
which was the birthplace of King Henry VII of England
. Gerald de Windsor
was Constable of Pembroke Pembroke town and castle and its surroundings are linked with the early Christian church. Later this was the site of the Knights of St John in the UK.
Monkton Priory has very early foundations and was renovated by the Knights in the last century. The first stone building was a defensive tower, now known as the Medieval Chapel, 69a Main Street, built on a cliff edge between 950
AD and 1000 AD. There are the remains of a great hall
to the north and recently filled-in arched cellars. The building was used as an early church. The layout is the same as St. Govan's Chapel and it was used by John Wesley
from 1764 to preach Methodism
. After Westgate Chapel was built we do not know what it was used for after 1810. In 1866 it became the Brewery for the York Tavern which was Oliver Cromwell
's headquarters at the siege of Pembroke
during the English Civil War
.
On both banks of Pembroke River to the west of the castle are many remains of early activities. The buildings of Catshole Quarry and the rare vegetation with the irreplaceable foreshore have recently been buried by dumped materials. The North Shore Quarries are relatively complete as are the remains of medieval and Elizabethan slipways where wooden vessels were built before the industrial Dockyard and Admiralty town was built on the grid pattern of Pembroke Dock
.
There is a very early graving dock complete in what was Hancocks Yard, about to be buried by a massive infill of the mud flats to the North. The reclaimed land will be used to build high rise flats. The bridge which crosses and constrains the millpond was constructed to house a tide mill
, originally granted to the Knight's Templars in 1199 which survived until it was burnt down in 1956.
At Pennar flats the early submarine base used for experiments in submarine warfare has been recently bulldozed to allow speculative development by executive housing. Three of the houses on the then foreshore, part of the shipyard before the Admiralty Dock Yard was built, are still standing but are heavily altered.
The ferry
port
of Pembroke Dock
is a separate town, which was established in 1814. It lies three miles to the north of Pembroke.
peninsula
, by the estuary
of the river Cleddau
. Pembroke town is located at the bottom of a small valley, flanked on all sides by woodland and arable farmland.
At the 2001 census
, the Community
of Pembroke had a population of 7,214. The town has expanded over the last 50 years with a number of new housing developments to the east and south of the town centre.
The connurbation of Pembroke Dock and Pembroke has a combined population of 15,890 and as such is one of the major population centres of West Wales.
(in Welsh: Ysgol Benfro) is a mixed 11–18 comprehensive school
of 1,600 pupils with a sixth form
of about 200. The school was formed in 1972 as a result of the amalgamation of the former grammar school
and secondary modern school
.
Besides King Henry VII, notable natives of Pembroke include the composer Daniel Jones
, actor Mervyn Johns
and John Lawrence
from the popular music
band
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
.
Rugby
Club located on upper Lamphey road. The ground is called Crickmarren. The club is currently situated in Division 4 west. Pembroke's main game of the season is often the local derby between rivals the Pembroke Dock Quins. Pembroke has produced famous players such as Ospreys and Welsh international Jonathan Thomas
.
Other sporting clubs in the area consist of the football
team Monkton Swifts. Monkton swifts are the leading team in the region having won the league title for the past four seasons. Managed by Richard 'Benno' Jones they pride themselves on playing attractive, free flowing football and with an average age in the early 20's. Skippered by Weaver Callan, (who cites Frankie Donavan as his mentor) most of the team such as Ben Nicholas, Daniel Scourfield, Ben Jones, Shaun Jones, Lee Jones, Ben Goldsmith have grown up playing in the same youth team.
The town is also home to Pembroke Cricket Club. The cricket
club plays its home games at its Treleet ground on the Upper Lamphey Road, opposite the Rugby Club. The club currently has a 1st and a 2nd team playing in divisions 2 and 4 of the Pembrokeshire league. The club colours are green and gold.
The sea cliffs of Pembroke are the venue for some of the finest climbing in the UK http://www.climber.co.uk/categories/articleitem.asp?cate=1&topic=16&item=86.
s (counter parts of the Cardigan Welsh Corgi
) originated in Pembroke. Bred with short legs and long body, these dogs were put to use as animal herders. A noticeable difference between the two breeds is that the Pembroke tail is usually docked, while those of Cardigans are mainly left to grow long and bushy.
on Station Road serves the town of Pembroke. The station is on a branch of the West Wales Line
. There is also a two-hourly service from Swansea
terminating at Pembroke Dock
and also services to Cardiff Central
.
which is about 150 kilometres away.
are:
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
in west Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The town and the county derive their name from that of the cantref of Penfro
Penfro (cantref)
thumb|250 px|right|Location of the cantref of Penfro within ancient DyfedPenfro was one of the seven cantrefi of Dyfed. It subsequently became part of Deheubarth in around 950. It consisted of the long peninsular part of Dyfed south of the Eastern Cleddau and the Daugleddau estuary, and bordered...
: Pen = "head" or "end", and bro = "region", "country", "land", and so it means essentially "Land's End".
History
Pembroke Castle
Pembroke Castle is a medieval castle in Pembroke, West Wales. Standing beside the River Cleddau, it underwent major restoration work in the early 20th century. The castle was the original seat of the Earldom of Pembroke....
, the remains of a stone mediæval castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
which was the birthplace of King Henry VII of England
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
. Gerald de Windsor
Gerald de Windsor
Gerald de Windsor, also known as Gerald FitzWalter, was the nobleman in charge of the Norman forces in Wales in the late 11th century. Notably, he was the progenitor of the FitzGerald and de Barry dynasties of Ireland...
was Constable of Pembroke Pembroke town and castle and its surroundings are linked with the early Christian church. Later this was the site of the Knights of St John in the UK.
Monkton Priory has very early foundations and was renovated by the Knights in the last century. The first stone building was a defensive tower, now known as the Medieval Chapel, 69a Main Street, built on a cliff edge between 950
950
Year 950 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Duke Boleslav I of Bohemia makes peace with Otto I....
AD and 1000 AD. There are the remains of a great hall
Great hall
A great hall is the main room of a royal palace, nobleman's castle or a large manor house in the Middle Ages, and in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries. At that time the word great simply meant big, and had not acquired its modern connotations of excellence...
to the north and recently filled-in arched cellars. The building was used as an early church. The layout is the same as St. Govan's Chapel and it was used by John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
from 1764 to preach Methodism
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
. After Westgate Chapel was built we do not know what it was used for after 1810. In 1866 it became the Brewery for the York Tavern which was Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's headquarters at the siege of Pembroke
Siege of Pembroke
The Siege of Pembroke took place in 1648 during the Second English Civil War.- Background :In April 1648, Parliamentarian troops in Wales, who had not been paid for a long time, staged a Royalist rebellion under the command of the Colonel John Poyer, the Parliamentarian Governor of Pembroke Castle...
during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
On both banks of Pembroke River to the west of the castle are many remains of early activities. The buildings of Catshole Quarry and the rare vegetation with the irreplaceable foreshore have recently been buried by dumped materials. The North Shore Quarries are relatively complete as are the remains of medieval and Elizabethan slipways where wooden vessels were built before the industrial Dockyard and Admiralty town was built on the grid pattern of Pembroke Dock
Pembroke Dock
Pembroke Dock is a town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, lying north of Pembroke on the River Cleddau. Originally a small fishing village known as Paterchurch, the town was greatly expanded from 1814 onwards following the construction of a Royal Naval Dockyard...
.
There is a very early graving dock complete in what was Hancocks Yard, about to be buried by a massive infill of the mud flats to the North. The reclaimed land will be used to build high rise flats. The bridge which crosses and constrains the millpond was constructed to house a tide mill
Tide mill
A tide mill is a water mill driven by tidal rise and fall. A dam with a sluice is created across a suitable tidal inlet, or a section of river estuary is made into a reservoir. As the tide comes in, it enters the mill pond through a one way gate, and this gate closes automatically when the tide...
, originally granted to the Knight's Templars in 1199 which survived until it was burnt down in 1956.
At Pennar flats the early submarine base used for experiments in submarine warfare has been recently bulldozed to allow speculative development by executive housing. Three of the houses on the then foreshore, part of the shipyard before the Admiralty Dock Yard was built, are still standing but are heavily altered.
The ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
of Pembroke Dock
Pembroke Dock
Pembroke Dock is a town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, lying north of Pembroke on the River Cleddau. Originally a small fishing village known as Paterchurch, the town was greatly expanded from 1814 onwards following the construction of a Royal Naval Dockyard...
is a separate town, which was established in 1814. It lies three miles to the north of Pembroke.
Geography
Pembroke is located on the south PembrokeshireSouth Pembrokeshire
South Pembrokeshire was one of six local government districts of Dyfed, Wales from 1974 to 1996.It was formed on April 1, 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, from the following parts of the administrative county of Pembrokeshire:...
peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
, by the estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
of the river Cleddau
River Cleddau
The River Cleddau consists of the Eastern and Western Cleddau rivers in Pembrokeshire, west Wales. They unite to form the Daugleddau estuary, which forms the important harbour of Milford Haven....
. Pembroke town is located at the bottom of a small valley, flanked on all sides by woodland and arable farmland.
At the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, the Community
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
of Pembroke had a population of 7,214. The town has expanded over the last 50 years with a number of new housing developments to the east and south of the town centre.
The connurbation of Pembroke Dock and Pembroke has a combined population of 15,890 and as such is one of the major population centres of West Wales.
Comprehensive Education
Pembroke SchoolPembroke School, Wales
Pembroke School is a co-educational school of 1600 students in Pembroke, Wales. Founded in 1972 as a result of the amalgamation of Pembroke Grammar School and Coronation Secondary Modern School, the Pembroke School offers education for the years 11-18...
(in Welsh: Ysgol Benfro) is a mixed 11–18 comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
of 1,600 pupils with a sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
of about 200. The school was formed in 1972 as a result of the amalgamation of the former grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
and secondary modern school
Secondary modern school
A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed in most of the United Kingdom from 1944 until the early 1970s, under the Tripartite System, and was designed for the majority of pupils - those who do not achieve scores in the top 25% of the eleven plus examination...
.
Notable people
- See :Category:People from Pembroke, Pembrokeshire
Besides King Henry VII, notable natives of Pembroke include the composer Daniel Jones
Daniel Jones (composer)
Daniel Jenkyn Jones OBE was a composer of classical music, who worked in Britain. He used both serial and tonal techniques...
, actor Mervyn Johns
Mervyn Johns
Mervyn Johns was a Welsh film and television character actor. He was a mainstay of Ealing Studios.Among his dozens of film roles were Walter Craig in Dead of Night , the Church Warden in Went the Day Well? and Bob Cratchit in Scrooge...
and John Lawrence
John Lawrence
John Lawrence may refer to:* John Lawrence , English illustrator and wood engraver* John Lawrence * John Lawrence , Irish landowner, owner of Ballymore Castle* John Lawrence a.k.a...
from the popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci were a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in Carmarthen, west Wales in 1991. They sang songs in both Welsh and English. They split up in May 2006.-Biography:...
.
Sport
Pembroke's main sporting asset is PembrokePembroke RFC
Pembroke Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in Pembroke. They currently play in the Welsh National League Division Five West and is a feeder club for the Llanelli Scarlets.. They are known locally as the Scarlets relating to the colour of their shirts.-History:Pembroke Rugby...
Rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
Club located on upper Lamphey road. The ground is called Crickmarren. The club is currently situated in Division 4 west. Pembroke's main game of the season is often the local derby between rivals the Pembroke Dock Quins. Pembroke has produced famous players such as Ospreys and Welsh international Jonathan Thomas
Jonathan Thomas
Jonathan Thomas is a Welsh international rugby union player who plays at flanker for the Ospreys. He has also played at number eight and lock....
.
Other sporting clubs in the area consist of the football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
team Monkton Swifts. Monkton swifts are the leading team in the region having won the league title for the past four seasons. Managed by Richard 'Benno' Jones they pride themselves on playing attractive, free flowing football and with an average age in the early 20's. Skippered by Weaver Callan, (who cites Frankie Donavan as his mentor) most of the team such as Ben Nicholas, Daniel Scourfield, Ben Jones, Shaun Jones, Lee Jones, Ben Goldsmith have grown up playing in the same youth team.
The town is also home to Pembroke Cricket Club. The cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
club plays its home games at its Treleet ground on the Upper Lamphey Road, opposite the Rugby Club. The club currently has a 1st and a 2nd team playing in divisions 2 and 4 of the Pembrokeshire league. The club colours are green and gold.
The sea cliffs of Pembroke are the venue for some of the finest climbing in the UK http://www.climber.co.uk/categories/articleitem.asp?cate=1&topic=16&item=86.
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Pembroke Welsh CorgiPembroke Welsh Corgi
The Pembroke Welsh Corgi is a herding dog breed, which originated in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is one of two breeds known as Welsh Corgi: the other is the Cardigan Welsh Corgi. The corgi is one of the smallest dogs in the Herding Group. Pembroke Welsh Corgis are famed for being the preferred breed...
s (counter parts of the Cardigan Welsh Corgi
Cardigan Welsh Corgi
The Cardigan Welsh corgi is one of two separate dog breeds known as Welsh corgis that originated in Wales, the other being the Pembroke Welsh corgi. It is one of the oldest herding breeds.-Characteristics:...
) originated in Pembroke. Bred with short legs and long body, these dogs were put to use as animal herders. A noticeable difference between the two breeds is that the Pembroke tail is usually docked, while those of Cardigans are mainly left to grow long and bushy.
Rail
Pembroke railway stationPembroke railway station
- External links :...
on Station Road serves the town of Pembroke. The station is on a branch of the West Wales Line
West Wales Line
The West Wales Lines are a group of railway lines from Swansea through Carmarthenshire to Pembrokeshire, West Wales...
. There is also a two-hourly service from Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
terminating at Pembroke Dock
Pembroke Dock
Pembroke Dock is a town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, lying north of Pembroke on the River Cleddau. Originally a small fishing village known as Paterchurch, the town was greatly expanded from 1814 onwards following the construction of a Royal Naval Dockyard...
and also services to Cardiff Central
Cardiff Central railway station
Cardiff Central railway station is a major railway station on the South Wales Main Line in Cardiff, Wales.It is the largest and busiest station in Wales and one of the major stations of the British rail network, the tenth busiest station in the United Kingdom outside of London , based on 2007/08...
.
Air
The nearest passenger airport is Cardiff International AirportCardiff International Airport
Cardiff Airport is an international airport serving Cardiff, and the rest of South, Mid and West Wales. Around 1.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010....
which is about 150 kilometres away.
Twin towns
Pembroke's sister citiesTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
are:
| Pembroke, Malta Pembroke, Malta Pembroke, Malta's newest town, is on the northern coast of Malta. To the east is Paceville, the nightlife district of Malta. The coastal town and tourist hub of St. Julian's lies to the southeast, and the residential area of Swieqi lies to the south... Bergen, Lower Saxony Bergen, Lower Saxony Bergen is a town in the north of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Administratively it acts as a municipal borough divided into 12 subordinate parishes based on the town and its surrounding villages: Becklingen, Belsen, Bergen, Bleckmar, Diesten, Dohnsen, Eversen,... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |