Pembroke Dockyard

Pembroke Dockyard
Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, Wales
The former Dockyard viewed from the Defensible Barracks
Site information
Type	Dockyard
Location
Coordinates	51°41′43″N4°57′17″W / 51.6952°N 4.9548°W / 51.6952; -4.9548
Site history
Built	1814 (1814)
Fate	Closed 1926

Pembroke Dockyard, originally called Pater Yard, is a former Royal Navy Dockyard in Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, Wales.

History

See also: Pembroke Dock § Naval dockyards

It was founded in 1814, although not formally authorized until the Prince Regent signed the necessary Order in Council on 31 October 1815, and was known as Pater Yard until 1817. The Mayor of Pembroke had requested the change "in deference to the town of Pembroke some two miles (3.2 km) distant". ^[1]

The site selected for the dockyard was greenfield land and the closest accommodations were in Pembroke. Office space was provided by the old frigate Lapwing after she was beached. The Royal Marine garrison was housed in the hulked 74-gun ship, HMS Dragon, after she was run aground in 1832. Many of the workmen commuted by boat from nearby communities until Pembroke Dock town was built up. ^[2] In 1860 the dockyard's policing was transferred to the new No. 4 Division of the Metropolitan Police, which remained in that role until the 1920s. ^[3]

After the end of the First World War, the dockyard was closed by the cash-strapped Admiralty as redundant in 1926. The Royal Air Force, however, built RAF Pembroke Dock on the site during the 1930s to house its flying boats, demolishing many of the existing buildings to make room for the necessary hangars and other facilities. ^[4]

Administration of the dockyard

The admiral-superintendent ^[5] was the Royal Navy officer in command of a larger Naval Dockyard. Portsmouth, Devonport and Chatham all had admiral-superintendents, as did some other dockyards in the United Kingdom and abroad at certain times. The admiral-superintendent usually held the rank of rear-admiral. His deputy was the captain of the dockyard (or captain of the port from 1969).

Some smaller dockyards, such as Sheerness and Pembroke, ^[6] had a captain-superintendent ^[7] instead, whose deputy was styled commander of the dockyard. The appointment of a commodore-superintendent ^[8] was also made from time to time in certain yards.

The appointment of admiral-superintendents (or their junior equivalents) dates from 1832 when the Admiralty took charge of the Royal Dockyards. Prior to this larger dockyards were overseen by a commissioner who represented the Navy Board.

Resident Commissioner of the Navy, Pater Yard (1830–1832)

Included: ^[9]

• Captain Charles Bullen, July 1830 – 1832

Captain-Superintendent, Pembroke Dockyard (1857–1906)

Included: ^[10]

• Captain George Ramsay: July 1857-September 1862
• Captain William Loring: September 1862-March 1866
• Captain Robert Hall: March 1866-March 1871
• Captain William Armytage: February 1871-January 1872
• Captain Richard W. Courtenay: January 1872-March 1875
• Captain Richard Vesey Hamilton: March 1875-October 1877
• Captain George H. Parkin: October 1877-October 1882
• Captain Alfred J. Chatfield: October 1882-January 1886
• Captain Edward Kelly: January 1886-June 1887
• Commodore George Digby Morant: June 1887-January 1889
• Captain Samuel Long: January 1889-August 1891
• Captain Walter Stewart: August 1891-January 1893
• Captain Charles C.Penrose Fitzgerald: January 1893-March 1895
• Captain William H. Hall: March 1895
• Captain Charles J. Balfour: March 1895-October 1896
• Captain Burges Watson: October 1896-October 1899
• Captain Charles J. Barlow: October 1899-October 1902
• Captain Gerald Walter Russell: October 1902-October 1904
• Captain John Denison: October 1904-October 1906

Rear-Admiral Superintendent, Pembroke Dockyard (1906–1915)

• Rear-Admiral Henry C. Kingsford: October 1906-December 1908
• Rear-Admiral Godfrey H.B. Mundy: December 1908-December 1911
• Rear-Admiral Alfred E.A. Grant: December 1911-September 1915

Captain-Superintendent, Pembroke Dockyard (1915–1926)

• Captain Frederick D. Gilpin Brown: September 1915-April 1918
• Captain John G. Armstrong: April 1918-February 1920
• Captain David Murray Anderson: February 1920-April 1922
• Captain the Hon. Arthur B. S. Dutton: April 1922-July 1924
• Captain Leonard A. B. Donaldson: July 1924 – 1926

Listed buildings and Scheduled monuments

The site contains 107 listed buildings. One, the Paterchurch Tower is listed at Grade I and eighteen are listed at Grade II*, including the Defensible Barracks and the Garrison Chapel. The remainder are Grade II. There are three scheduled monuments, two, the Defensible Barracks and the South West Dockyard Tower which are also listed buildings, and the Bomb stores at West end of Fort Road. ^[11] The list below details those structures graded I or II*, and the bomb store, the only scheduled monument that is not also listed.

Name	Location Grid Ref. [note 1] Geo-coordinates	Date Listed	Function	Notes	Reference Number	Image
Paterchurch Tower	Pembroke Dock SM9576303558 51°41′37″N4°57′23″W / 51.693484302558°N 4.956507736873°W / 51.693484302558; -4.956507736873 (Paterchurch Tower)	14 July 1981	Tower	This medieval tower stood outside the dockyard walls prior to realignment of the walls in 1844. [12] [13]	14341	See more images
No 1, The Terrace	Pembroke Dock SM9603803521 51°41′36″N4°57′09″W / 51.693252420968°N 4.9525128244509°W / 51.693252420968; -4.9525128244509 (No 1, The Terrace)	18 January 1974	House	formerly listed together with the Commodore Club [14]	6454
No 2, The Terrace	Pembroke Dock SM9606303504 51°41′35″N4°57′08″W / 51.693108890757°N 4.9521416787765°W / 51.693108890757; -4.9521416787765 (No 2, The Terrace)	18 January 1974	House		6455
No 3, The Terrace	Pembroke Dock SM9607403501 51°41′35″N4°57′07″W / 51.693085963764°N 4.9519809948437°W / 51.693085963764; -4.9519809948437 (No 3, The Terrace)	18 January 1974			14381
Dockyard Gates	Pembroke Dock SM9602803524 51°41′36″N4°57′10″W / 51.693275711881°N 4.9526590610043°W / 51.693275711881; -4.9526590610043 (Dockyard Gates)	18 January 1974			14377
Piers and Lodges on Admiralty Way (formerly listed with Dockyard Wall)	Pembroke Dock SM9601403529 51°41′36″N4°57′10″W / 51.693315502177°N 4.9528642603192°W / 51.693315502177; -4.9528642603192 (Piers and Lodges on Admiralty Way (formerly listed with Dockyard Wall))	18 January 1974			14378
Port Hotel (formerly listed as the Commodore Club/Captain Superintendent's house)	Pembroke Dock SM9599803533 51°41′36″N4°57′11″W / 51.693345583501°N 4.9530977715249°W / 51.693345583501; -4.9530977715249 (Port Hotel (formerly listed as the Commodore Club/Captain Superintendent's house))	18 January 1974			14379
Port Hotel Stable Range to South	Pembroke Dock SM9599103507 51°41′35″N4°57′11″W / 51.693109572209°N 4.9531837007604°W / 51.693109572209; -4.9531837007604 (Port Hotel Stable Range to South)	18 January 1974			14380
Garrison Chapel	Pembroke Dock SM9628003484 51°41′35″N4°56′56″W / 51.6930083834°N 4.9489947374375°W / 51.6930083834; -4.9489947374375 (Garrison Chapel)	18 January 1974	Museum		6458	See more images
Former Guard House	Pembroke Dock SM9603603636 51°41′39″N4°57′09″W / 51.694284295682°N 4.952608975907°W / 51.694284295682; -4.952608975907 (Former Guard House)	18 January 1974			6436
The Old Storehouse	Pembroke Dock SM9602503742 51°41′43″N4°57′10″W / 51.695232075417°N 4.9528299082564°W / 51.695232075417; -4.9528299082564 (The Old Storehouse)	18 January 1974		Situated to W of Sunderland House, behind ferry terminal. [15]	6441
Defensible Barracks	Pembroke Dock SM9606703083 51°41′22″N4°57′07″W / 51.689330116781°N 4.9518377478342°W / 51.689330116781; -4.9518377478342 (Defensible Barracks)	18 January 1974	Barracks		6448	See more images
Barracks Platform	Pembroke Dock SM9606703083 51°41′22″N4°57′07″W / 51.689330116781°N 4.9518377478342°W / 51.689330116781; -4.9518377478342 (Barracks Platform)	18 January 1994			14372
South West Martello Tower	Pembroke Dock SM9551803606 51°41′38″N4°57′36″W / 51.693825784819°N 4.9600756864769°W / 51.693825784819; -4.9600756864769 (South West Martello Tower)	18 February 1994	Martello tower	Fort Road (W End) [16]	14353	See more images
North East Martello Tower	Pembroke Dock SM9640603835 51°41′46″N4°56′51″W / 51.696205961495°N 4.9473791773459°W / 51.696205961495; -4.9473791773459 (North East Martello Tower)	18 February 1994	Martello tower	Front Street (N Side) [17]	14354	See more images
Dry-Moat Walls	Pembroke Dock SM9606703083 51°41′22″N4°57′07″W / 51.689330116781°N 4.9518377478342°W / 51.689330116781; -4.9518377478342 (Dry-Moat Walls)	18 January 1974			14371
The Graving Dock including Bollards and Capstans (formerly listed with 13 Building Slips and Carr Jet)	Pembroke Dock SM9583903927 51°41′49″N4°57′20″W / 51.696825350907°N 4.955625697233°W / 51.696825350907; -4.955625697233 (The Graving Dock including Bollards and Capstans (formerly listed with 13 Building Slips and Carr Jet))	18 January 1974	Graving Dock		14393
Zion Free Church, Meyrick Street	Pembroke Dock SM9667403435 51°41′34″N4°56′36″W / 51.692711760614°N 4.943273567296°W / 51.692711760614; -4.943273567296 (Zion Free Church, Meyrick Street)	14 July 1981	Church	Built 1846-8, extended 1866-7 and renovated 1882, 1911 and 1986. [18]	6415
Zion Free Church Forecourt railings, piers and gates, Meyrick Street	Pembroke Dock SM9669403432 51°41′34″N4°56′35″W / 51.692692092504°N 4.9429828554186°W / 51.692692092504; -4.9429828554186 (Zion Free Church Forecourt railings, piers and gates, Meyrick Street)	14 July 1981			14420
Bomb stores at West end of Fort Road	Pembroke Dock SM955035 51°41′36″N4°57′35″W / 51.6933°N 4.9596°W / 51.6933; -4.9596 (Bomb stores at West end of Fort Road)	22 August 2017	Bomb store	Likely dating from 1934-39 when the site was redeveloped as an RAF flying boat station. [19]	PE570

Notes

1. Phillips, pp. 12–16
2. Phillips, pp. 17–20, 40
3. "British Police History - Royal Marine Police".
4. Phillips, pp. 46–48
5. "Royal Naval dockyard staff". nationalarchives.gov.uk. The National Archives, UK, 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
6. Carradice, Phil (2013). The Ships of Pembroke Dockyard. Stroud, Gloucs.: Amberley.
7. "Royal Naval dockyard staff". nationalarchives.gov.uk. The National Archives, UK, 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
8. Stewart, William (2009). Admirals of the World: A Biographical Dictionary, 1500 to the Present. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 47. ISBN   9780786438099.
9. Harrison, Simon (2010–2018). "Resident Commissioner at Pater Yard". threedecks.org. S. Harrison. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
10. Mackie, Colin. "Royal Navy Appointments from 1865" (PDF). gulabin.com. Colin Mackie, p.116, December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
11. "Listed buildings at Pembroke Dock". British Listed Buildings Online. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
12. Cadw. "Paterchurch Tower (14341)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
13. "Paterchurch Tower". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
14. Cadw. "No. 1, The Terrace (formerly listed together with the Port Hotel (6454)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
15. Cadw. "The Old Storehouse (6441)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
16. Cadw. "The South West Martello Tower (14353)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
17. Cadw. "North East Martello Tower (14354)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
18. Cadw. "Zion Free Church (6415)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
19. Cadw. "Bomb stores at West end of Fort Road (PE570)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 14 September 2024.

1. Sometimes known as OSGB36, the grid reference is based on the British national grid reference system used by the Ordnance Survey.

References

• Phillips, Lawrie (2014). Pembroke Dockyard and the Old Navy: A Bicentennial History. Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK: The History Press. ISBN   978-0-7509-5214-9.