Summary

A Grade I listed medieval castle at Pembroke in Pembrokeshire, Wales, founded in 1093 by Arnulf of Montgomery, substantially rebuilt between 1189 and 1218 by William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, and further extended by Gilbert Marshal between 1234 and 1241; birthplace of Henry VII in 1457; comprising a Great Keep of up to 75 feet, a walled inner ward, an outer ward, and a bican; now owned by the Pembroke Town Council and the Philipps family charitable trust; used as a filming location for The Lion in Winter (1968), Jabberwocky (1977), Prince Caspian (BBC), Richard II (BBC Two), and Me Before You (2016).

About this location

Pembroke Castle stands on a promontory of limestone rock above the Pembroke River in the town of Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, on the south-west coast of Wales. The site commands a natural defensive position between two tidal inlets. A first fortification on the site was built in 1093 by Arnulf of Montgomery, a Norman magnate who had pushed into south-west Wales; it was constructed of earth and timber. The castle passed through several hands before coming to William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, arguably the greatest knight of his era, who transformed it into the formidable stone structure that still survives today, building the principal phases between 1189 and 1218. His son Gilbert Marshal continued work between 1234 and 1241.

The Great Keep, a cylindrical tower reaching approximately 75 feet in height with walls up to 19 feet thick at the base, is William Marshal’s most lasting architectural contribution and dominates the castle’s silhouette. It retains its original stone dome roof. The inner ward is enclosed by curtain walls with mural towers dating from the Marshal period. An outer ward and a gatehouse with bican extend the defensive circuit. The construction uses local carboniferous limestone and ashlar dressing.

The castle is the birthplace of Henry Tudor, born on 28 January 1457 to Margaret Beaufort and Edmund Tudor; Henry later became King Henry VII of England, founding the Tudor dynasty following his victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. The room traditionally identified as his birthplace within the tower called Henry VII’s Tower is shown to visitors today.

The castle fell into decay from the Tudor period onwards and was extensively damaged during the English Civil War, when it was held for the Royalist cause. Restoration and consolidation works began in the late 19th century under J.R. Cobb and continued through the 20th century. The castle is now managed by a charitable trust associated with the Philipps family and Pembroke Town Council.

Film productions at Pembroke Castle include: The Lion in Winter (Haworth Productions/Avco Embassy, 1968, directed by Anthony Harvey, starring Peter O’Toole as Henry II and Katharine Hepburn as Eleanor of Aquitaine, adapted from James Goldman’s stage play); Jabberwocky (Python Pictures/EMI, 1977, directed by Terry Gilliam, starring Michael Palin, which used the castle as a medieval backdrop); a BBC television adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s Prince Caspian from the Chronicles of Narnia; a BBC Two television film of Shakespeare’s Richard II; and Me Before You (New Line Cinema/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 2016, directed by Thea Sharrock, starring Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin, based on Jojo Moyes’s novel, which used Pembroke and Pembrokeshire locations throughout).