Wales · 11th century
Pembroke Castle (Welsh: Castell Penfro) is a medieval castle in the centre of Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in Wales. The castle was the original family seat of the Earldom of Pembroke. A Grade I listed building since 1951, it underwent major restoration during the early 20th century.
In 1093, Arnulf of Montgomery built the first castle at the site when he fortified the promontory beside the Pembroke River during the Norman invasion of Wales. A century later, the castle was given by Richard I to William Marshal, who became one of the most powerful men in 12th-century Britain. He rebuilt Pembroke Castle in stone, creating most of the structure that remains today. The castle is open to the public and is the largest privately owned castle in Wales, with its ownership held in a trust.
Text adapted from “Pembroke Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Pembroke Castle ranks #244 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #3 of the 107 mapped in Wales. Founded 1093, it is older than 87% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 436 atlas entries founded in the 11th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 14,474 times in the last 60 days, more than 96% of the atlas. 11 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Swansea, 67 km away. See how Wales compares in the castle statistics.
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