The story of Pembroke Castle

Walk into the inner ward and look up at the huge round keep with its domed roof. The first castle here was built in 1093 by Arnulf of Montgomery, who fortified this rocky headland beside the Pembroke River during the Norman invasion of Wales. It began as an earth-and-timber fort.

About a century later, King Richard I gave it to William Marshal, who became one of the most powerful men in 12th-century Britain. Marshal rebuilt it in stone, creating most of what you see today, including the inner ward and its great keep, built around 1189. The castle stands in a strong position by the Milford Haven Waterway and was the original family seat of the Earls of Pembroke. It underwent major restoration in the early 20th century, and today it is the largest privately owned castle in Wales, held by a trust.

Inside the keep, a spiral staircase once linked its floors – imagine climbing it in Marshal's day.