When visiting Skomer Island, we actually stayed in Pembroke Dock so Pembroke Castle was a short drive away. After doing some genealogy and seeing that some of our ancestors were born here almost 1,000 years ago, we decided to visit just to make the most of our time in Pembroke.

I didn’t think it would be particularly interesting since it’s in a ruined state, but I was wrong. There were a lot of cool places to see at the castle and it was actually a big highlight of our visit.

A Short History of Pembroke Castle

Pembroke Castle or “Castell Penfro” was initially built in wood in the 11th century by Roger of Montgomery. In 1189 it was turned over to William Marshall, who was both an earl and a statesman to many medieval kings (and also one of my ancestors). He started rebuilding the castle in stone and remarkably, much of what you can still see today is from this era of the late 12th to early 13th centuries.

Pembroke Castle is most notably the birthplace of King Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch. As such it is branded as the “birthplace of Tudor England.” But you might know that Henry VII wasn’t born a king (or at least guess since he wasn’t born in England). The castle was later given to Jasper Tudor, a half-brother of Henry VI, and he let his pregnant sister-in-law give birth there at Pembroke Castle. (She was 13 at the time and, you guessed it, her husband had been about twice her age. Yick!) Here she gave birth to Henry VII, who was not a king at the time but did have a claim to the throne. You’ve probably heard of the War of the Roses. That’s the one Henry VII won and the start of the Tudor era.

Pembroke Castle remained in use until the Second Civil War, when it was taken by Oliver Cromwell and ordered to be destroyed. It was partially destroyed but ultimately left to decay. Since the 1800s, it’s undergone many restoration projects and I have to say they’re very well done. I would’ve guessed the whole site was original.

Pembroke Castle Today

Pembroke Castle looked relatively small in pictures online but driving up to it, you can see it’s quite large and dominating. A lot of the castle spans the perimeter of a very large courtyard which has a humungous map of Wales on the ground.

It felt like there were two different parts of the castle. The first is where the entrance is and that southern half of the structure. You can go inside where there are multiple floors and several small rooms and corridors to go through. You can also go up to the battlements. Take care to make note of where you’ve been and where you haven’t since the map isn’t particularly helpful in this area. There’s lots of doors and staircases and other fun places to peak into.

This is the area that has the most intact rooms with walls, ceilings, windows, etc. The rooms are set up to give you different information on the castle’s history. There’s a room that showcases the birth of Henry VII, one that shows how the castle looked when it was originally built, one that information on how it was used during World War II, and more.

They don’t decorate the rooms as they would’ve been in the past but there are several montages with mannequins to give you an idea of what Pembroke Castle was like at certain points in its history. Already I was pleasantly surprised by how much work had been put into the castle to make the most of its existing space and to make the visit as educational as possible.

Then there was the second part of the castle which is across the large yard with the map. This area is a lot more ruined but still worth looking it. Over on the northern side, you can see the large keep and a few medieval halls. Even though only the outer shell remains, you can still see where the floors and windows and fireplaces were. There’s even some nice illustrations to show you what it would have looked like in its heyday, complete with wall painting and decor.

What’s also fun is that they have a bunch of cutouts and stories set up throughout the castle to tell you about certain people in Pembroke Castle’s history. The people range from the famous likes of Henry VII to medieval Welsh nobility to the servants who worked in the castle.

So if you couldn’t tell from my review, I definitely recommend a visit to Pembroke Castle if you’re ever in the area! I was honestly thinking it would be a few minutes walking around some ruins looking at big walls but we actually had a fun, educational time.

Have you ever been to Pembroke Castle? What did you think?

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