At the end of the Pembroke River is Pembroke, one of the oldest towns in Wales. After overcoming local resistance in 1093, Arnulf de Montgomery built a wooden fortification on the rocky promontory overlooking the town, where the medieval stone castle now stands. This iteration of Pembroke Castle was built in 1189 by William Marshal who added the inner ward and Great Keep. Since its construction the castle has been enlarged, fortified, and has survived many conflicts. However, it eventually fell into disrepair and was plundered for its stone. The castle was partially restored in 1880 and was fully restored by local landowner Major-General Sir Ivor Philipps in 1928.
Located between Pembroke and Pembroke Dock is Jacobs Pill, A private dockyard founded by Sir Edward Reed in the early 1870s. Reed, using his influence and connections managed to secure an order from the Japanese Navy. Construction of the steam powered, armored corvette Hiei, began in June 1877 and was completed in 1878. After this Illustrious start the yards fortunes began to wane and it closed within a decade.
Not far from Jacobs Pill is Pennar and a bronze plaque, part of the Pembroke Dock Town Trail, that commemorates a tragedy that happened on Friday 8th 1889. A small ferry service operated between Lower Pennar and Bentlass, transporting men and women across the unpredictable tidal waters of the Pembroke River. The exact details of the accident aren’t known. However, it is believed that during the crossing a combination of strong winds, an ebbing tide and rough waters overwhelmed the small boat after it tipped on its side. Sadly, John Jones, his assistant and all the ferry’s passengers drowned.
Located on a rocky headland at the confluence of the Pembroke River and the Milford Haven Waterway are the Torpedo Stores. The Torpedo Stores were constructed in 1875 and used to test and store torpedoes. Maned by the Royal Engineers, the site was expanded in 1903 with the construction of barracks, workshops, offices, mine stores and quays. By the 1960s the barracks and other buildings were surplus to requirement and were eventually abandoned and demolished. The complex of military buildings that once occupied the site were replaced by a holiday park and, when that closed, a housing estate.
Jacobs Pill and the Torpedo Stores are reminders of Pembroke Docks industrial and military prosperity and a sad reminder that not everything lasts. During the 1960’s the arrival of the petrochemical industry offered the area a degree of economic salvation. Refineries soon appeared along the shoreline of the Milford Haven Waterway, taking advantage of one of the deepest natural harbours in the world. Much like the industries it replaced, this industry would eventually wane and of the four refineries built during the 1960s, only Pembroke Refinery remains. Hopefully the infrastructure being built as part of Pembroke Dock Marine, a new green energy initiative, won’t become abandoned relics on the shoreline.
