Pembroke Dockyard, originally called Pater Yard, is a former

Royal Navy Dockyard Royal Navy Dockyards (more usually termed Royal Dockyards) were state-owned harbour facilities where ships of the Royal Navy were built, based, repaired and refitted. Until the mid-19th century the Royal Dockyards were the largest industrial c ...

Pembroke Dock Pembroke Dock () is a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, northwest of Pembroke on the banks of the River Cleddau. Originally Paterchurch, a small fishing village, Pembroke Dock town expanded rapidly following the constr ...

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and otherwise by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

History

It was founded in 1814, although not formally authorized until the

Prince Regent A prince regent or princess regent is a prince or princess who, due to their position in the line of succession, rules a monarchy as regent in the stead of a monarch, e.g., as a result of the sovereign's incapacity (minority or illness) or ab ...

signed the necessary

Order in Council An Order in Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom, this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council ('' ...

on 31 October 1815, and was known as ''Pater Yard'' until 1817. The

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of Pembroke had requested the change "in deference to the town of Pembroke some distant". The site selected for the dockyard was

greenfield land Greenfield land is a British English term referring to undeveloped land in an urban or rural area either used for agriculture or landscape design, or left to evolve naturally. These areas of land are usually agricultural or amenity properties ...

and the closest accommodations were in Pembroke. Office space was provided by the old

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

after she was beached. The

Royal Marine The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

garrison was housed in the hulked 74-gun ship, , after she was run aground in 1832. Many of the workmen commuted by boat from nearby communities until Pembroke Dock town was built up. 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. After the end of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the dockyard was closed by the cash-strapped

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

as redundant in 1926. The

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

, however, built RAF Pembroke Dock on the site during the 1930s to house its

flying boats A flying boat is a type of seaplane with a hull (watercraft), hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in having a fuselage that is purpose-designed for flotation, while floatplanes rely on fuselage-mounted floats for b ...

, demolishing many of the existing buildings to make room for the necessary

hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...

s and other facilities.

Administration of the dockyard

The

admiral-superintendent The admiral-superintendent 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 a ...

was the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

officer in command of a larger

Naval Dockyard A naval base, navy base, or military port is a military base, where warships and naval ships are docked when they have no mission at sea or need to restock. Ships may also undergo repairs. Some naval bases are temporary homes to aircraft that usu ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

, 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 Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

. His deputy was the captain of the dockyard (or captain of the port from 1969). Some smaller dockyards, such as

Sheerness Sheerness () is a port town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 13,249, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby ...

and Pembroke, had a captain-superintendent instead, whose deputy was styled

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

of the dockyard. The appointment of a commodore-superintendent was also made from time to time in certain yards. The appointment of admiral-superintendents (or their junior equivalents) dates from 1832 when the

took charge of the Royal Dockyards. Prior to this larger dockyards were overseen by a

commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...

who represented the

Navy Board The Navy Board (formerly known as the Council of the Marine or Council of the Marine Causes) was the Regulatory agency, commission responsible for the day-to-day civil administration of the Royal Navy between 1546 and 1832. The board was headqua ...

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

Included: * Captain

Charles Bullen Admiral Sir Charles Bullen (10 September 1769 – 2 July 1853) was a highly efficient and successful naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and distinguished himself at the Glorious First ...

, July 1830 – 1832

Captain-Superintendent, Pembroke Dockyard (1857–1906)

Included: * 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 Admiral Sir Richard Vesey Hamilton (28 May 1829 – 17 September 1912) was a Royal Navy officer. As a junior officer he twice volunteered to take part in missions to search for Sir John Franklin's ill-fated expedition to find the Northwest ...

: 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 Admiral Gerald Walter Russell (17 January 1850 – 7 November 1928) was a Royal Navy officer who was Captain-Superintendent of Pembroke Dockyard throughout 1902–1904. Naval career Russell entered the Royal Navy, and was promoted to lieutenant ...

: 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 Admiral Sir David Murray Anderson, (11 April 1874 – 30 October 1936) was a British naval officer and governor. Anderson served in the Royal Navy from the age of 13 and served in many colonial wars and was given various Empire postings, rising ...

: 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 Paterchurch Tower is a Grade I-listed medieval fortified tower in Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, Wales. It received its name from one of the families that owned the land. While its exact function is not known, it probably served as a pele tower f ...

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. The list below details those structures graded I or II*, and the bomb store, the only

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

that is not also listed.

Notes

References

* {{Navy Board, state=collapsed Military installations in Wales Pembroke Dock