Pembroke, Pembrokeshire

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Statistics
Pembroke
Population:	7,214 (2001 census)
Ordnance Survey
OS grid reference:	Maps for SM985015
Administration
Principal area:	Pembrokeshire
Constituent country:	Wales
Sovereign state:	United Kingdom
Other
Police force:	Dyfed-Powys Police
Ceremonial county:	Dyfed
Historic county:	Pembrokeshire
Post office and telephone
Post town:	PEMBROKE
Postal district:	SA71
Dialling code:	+44-1646
Politics
UK Parliament:	Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire
European Parliament:	Wales
Image:Flag of Wales.svg

Image:Pembrokecastle1811.jpg

1 Geography
2 History
3 Education
- 3.1 Comprehensive Education
4 People
5 Transportation
- 5.1 Rail
6 Twin Towns
7 External links

[edit] Geography

Pembroke (Welsh: Penfro) is the traditional county town of Pembrokeshire in west Wales. However, the administrative centre and de facto county town is Haverfordwest.

[edit] History

One point of interest in the town is Pembroke Castle, the impressive remains of a mediæval castle which was the birthplace of King Henry VII of England. Pembroke and its surroundings are linked with the early Christian church. Later this was the site of the Knights of St John in the UK. Templeton, Pembrokeshire, the village in mid Pembs, Minwear Church has a window with a Knights cross. Monkton Priory has very early foundations and was renovated by the Knights in the last century. There was a Knights' Bath House on the foreshore in Neyland which was demolished unlawfully on Boxing Day 2005. The first stone building was a defensive tower, now known as the Medieval Chapel, 69a Main Street, built on the edge of a cliff edge between 950 and 100, there are the remains of a grand 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 Govans 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 Cromwells headquarters at the siege of Pembroke during the 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. 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 as 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. Within the MOD Moorings Depot there is a defensive tower later Pater Church.The Depot will be up for redevelopment. All the buildings surrounding the tower have been demolished or burnt down, the building is exposed, entry can be granted by application to the MOD.

The Western Martello Tower of dressed Portland Stone is in private hands and is substantialy complete. The Dockyard Wall is substantialy complete and has been recently repaired by experts with dressed stone and lime mortar. The two listed hangars built to house the Sunderland Flying boats used to guard the Western Approaches, are being rebuilt and have to find new uses.The Dockyard Church has been rebuilt using Objective One funding from the EU and has to find a new use. The dessed limestone buildings built to service the Dockyard, Coronation School a magnificent building which is used as a thriving Community Center among others are due for demolition for redevelopment by speculative housing.

[edit] Education

[edit] Comprehensive Education

Pembroke School (in Welsh: Ysgol Penfro) is a mixed 11-18 comprehensive school of 1600 pupils with a sixth form of about 200. The school was formed in 1972 as a result of the amalgamation of the former grammar and secondary modern schools.

[edit] People

Besides King Henry VII, famous natives of Pembroke include the composer, Daniel Jones and John Lawrence from the popular music band Gorky's Zygotic Mynci.

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Rail

Pembroke railway station on Station Road serves the town of Pembroke, from here, there are connecting services on their way to the rest of Wales: Carmarthen, Milford Haven and Haverfordwest.