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Pembroke is a town in the Eastern Region of
Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
, and it is considered to be the country's newest locality. To the east is
Paceville Paceville ( sometimes abbreviated PV) is a district in St Julian's which is the main nightlife hub in Malta, being heavily populated with nightclubs, bars, strip clubs, pubs and restaurants. It is hence also known as 'Malta's Sin City'. Pacev ...
, the
nightlife Nightlife is a collective term for entertainment that is available and generally more popular from the late evening into the early hours of the morning. It includes pubs, bars, nightclubs, parties, live music, concerts, cabarets, theatre, ...
district of Malta. The coastal town and tourist hub of
St. Julian's Saint Julian's () is a town in the Eastern Region of Malta. As of 2020, its registered number of inhabitants stands at 13,792. It is situated along the coast, north of the country's capital, Valletta. It is known for tourism-oriented businesse ...
lies to the southeast, and the residential area of
Swieqi Swieqi () is a town in the Eastern Region of Malta. It is a residential area just 15 minutes by bus from Sliema and within walking distance of Malta's nightlife and entertainment centres, Paceville and St. Julian's. As the town developed, re ...
lies to the south. The hilltop village of
Madliena Madliena (), formerly spelt Madalena, is an area in Swieqi, in Northern Region, Malta, Northern Region, Malta, formerly part of the adjacent town of Għargħur. Etymology It takes its name from a chapel dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene, which w ...
is to its west, and Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq lies to the northwest. Pembroke covers an area of . The area hugs a coastal zone with a rocky beach. The highest point lies at 64 meters (210 feet) above sea level (at Suffolk Road, exit to St. Andrew's Rd). Pembroke was formerly a British military base from the 1850s to 1979. Pembroke is named after Robert Henry Herbert, the 12th
Earl of Pembroke Earl of Pembroke is a title in the Peerage of England that was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title, which is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, has been recreated ten times from its origin ...
, and was authorised by Sidney Herbert, younger half-brother of Robert and the
Secretary of State for War The secretary of state for war, commonly called the war secretary, was a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1794 to 1801 and from 1854 to 1964. The secretary of state for war headed the War Offic ...
in 1859. Pembroke was formerly part of St. Julian's. Pembroke officially became a town by virtue of the Local Councils Act (1993). This act recognised Pembroke as one of the 68 localities in Malta, with its own local council.


Population

The town's population stood at 3,645 in March 2014. By comparison, the town's population stood at 2,630 in 2001 of which 2,555 were Maltese nationals. As of 2013, Pembroke ranked as the 38th most populated locality. The population is quite young compared to the national average. Only 91 persons were over 70 years from a population of 3,488 in 2011. This represents 2% of the town's population compared to the national average of 10% for this age category. The average age of the Pembroke population is 33.5 years compared to the national average of 40.5 years. The town's population has grown as follows;(NSO Demographic reviews) ::1985: Nil ::1995: 2,213 ::2001: 2,630 (inc. 2,555 Nationals) ::2005: 2,806 (inc. 2,697 Nationals) ::2010: 3,038 (inc. 2,925 Nationals) ::2011: 3,488 (inc. 3,346 Nationals) ::2014: 3,599 (inc. 3,428 Nationals) ::2021: 3,545 (source NSO census 2021. Final Report published 16 February 2023) The five most common surnames in Pembroke are Vella, Borg, Zammit, Camilleri and Galea. These five surnames alone account for 15% of the town's population.


History

The first known buildings in the area of the town date back to the time of the
Order of Saint John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic Church, Catholic Military order (religious society), military order. It was founded in the Crusader states, crusader K ...
. The Knights built two watch towers on the extreme ends of the current Pembroke coast. The first of these is Saint George's Tower, which was built in 1638 as part of a series of coastal watch towers financed by Grandmaster Giovanni Paolo Lascaris. The second tower, Madliena Tower, forms part of a network of 13 coastal watch towers, collectively known as the
De Redin towers The De Redin Towers () are a series of small coastal watchtowers built in Malta by the Knights Hospitaller, Order of Saint John between 1658 and 1659. Thirteen towers were built around the coast of Malta (island), mainland Malta to act as watchto ...
, which were built between 1658 and 1659 during the reign of Grandmaster Martin de Redin to protect the then uninhabited northern coast of Malta. These 13 towers adorn the official coat of arms and flag of Pembroke, reflecting the town's military heritage. However, it was the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
who were instrumental in the development and fortification of Pembroke by building a military base complete with a hospital, cemetery, school, parade grounds, training grounds and shooting ranges. At this time, Pembroke formed part of
Għargħur Għargħur () is a village in the Eastern Region of Malta. It is situated on a hilltop between two valleys, and has a population of 2,768, as of March 2014. Għargħur Festa In Malta, each village celebrates a different patron saint or two de ...
. Initially, troops were billeted in tents and the area was known as the Pembroke Cantonment. The first barracks were constructed between 1859 and 1862 overlooking St. George's Bay and were named after England's
patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...
,
St. George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...
. Later, other barracks were built and were named after the patron saints of Ireland and Scotland, St. Patrick and
St. Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( ; ; ; ) was an apostle of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was a fisherman and one of the Apostles in the New Testament, Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. The title First-Called () used by the Eastern Orthodox Chu ...
. Fort Pembroke was built between 1875 and 1878 to safeguard the seaward approach towards the Grand Harbour situated approximately 6 km to the east, as well as to defend the right flank of the Victoria Lines. Its main armament comprised three 11-inch R.M.L. guns and one 64pr R.M.L. gun on a Moncrieff Mounting. The fort is surrounded by a ditch and glacis and contains underground magazines and casemated quarters for the garrison. The site now houses the Verdala International School. Between 1897 and 1899, Pembroke Battery was built nearby to serve the same purposes but housing newer guns with a longer range, protected by reinforced concrete emplacements. Pembroke Battery was armed with two 9.2-inch breech-loading MK X guns. Only one gun emplacement survives today, located between Burma Road and Dun Luigi Rigord Street. The military heritage of Pembroke Army Garrison is still evident as several buildings from the British era survive to this day preserved as heritage structures. The Pembroke Military Cemetery marks the repose of 593 casualties, including 315 from
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The cemetery also houses the Pembroke Memorial which commemorates 52 servicemen of the Second World War whose graves are in other parts of Malta not falling under the care of the Commonwealth War Graves. Their names appear on marble plaques let into the plinth of the Cross of Sacrifice. The cemetery is open between Monday to Friday. In 1915, during
World War I 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 ...
, when Malta was an important hospital base for the British and Commonwealth troops in the Mediterranean Sea, the army built what was then called St. Andrew's Church Room. In 1932, plans for an extension to the Church Room were drawn up and funds were raised from civilians and supplemented by generous contributions from soldiers of both battalions quartered in Pembroke barracks. The church was known as the Christ Church Garrison Church. The service of dedication took place on 12 November 1933. The extension permitted over two hundred people to be seated comfortably. The building today houses the Athleta Sports Club at Burma Road. In 1915, the Australian Branch of the British Red Cross Society collected funds for the building of Australia Hall, a recreation centre and theatre, to stand as a monument to the wounded
ANZAC The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was originally a First World War army corps of the British Empire under the command of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. It was formed in Egypt in December 1914, and operated during the ...
troops that were nursed in Malta. Unfortunately, the ceiling of trusses and sheeting was gutted by fire in December 1998 but its sturdy four walls still remain standing and are pending a restoration project. During the Siege of Malta, in World War II, Pembroke did not escape unscathed and has borne the scars from its share of the bombardment. From June 1940, St. George's Barracks was used to house the families of naval staff in the hope that it was far enough away from the RN Dockyards to avoid bombing. In the later stages of the war, German prisoners of war were held in Pembroke's POW camp. By 1945 they reached 2500 prisoners and several of them were of Roman Catholic denomination. They built a small chapel which served the religious needs of the Catholic POWs. The chapel was formally blessed by the Archbishop of Malta
Mikiel Gonzi Sir#British and Commonwealth honorifics, Sir Michael Papal nobility#Papal counts and countesses, Count Gonzi (born Mikiel / Michele Gonzi: 13 May 1885 – 22 January 1984), was Roman Catholic Archbishop of Malta from 1944 until 1976. He had b ...
in May 1946. During 1947, several prisoners were repatriated to Germany and on 9 February 1948, the last contingent of 787 Germans were embarked from Malta heading home to Germany. On 17 February 1948, No.1 (Malta) Prisoner of War Camp was officially disbanded. In April 1960, the Italian Navy Rescue and Salvage ship ''Proteo'' came to Malta and collected the remains of 121 German and 79 Italian dead who had been buried in the Pembroke Military Cemetery. The ship sailed for
Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...
where the coffins were re-interred in the St. Michele Communal Cemetery, situated just outside the main town of
Cagliari Cagliari (, , ; ; ; Latin: ''Caralis'') is an Comune, Italian municipality and the capital and largest city of the island of Sardinia, an Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Italy. It has about 146,62 ...
. After the war, Pembroke hosted various regiments that formed the backbone of the Malta garrison and other regiments were posted here for training camps. Some of the barracks also hosted the families of those soldiers on longer postings. The British military base at Pembroke was run down in 1977 and the last British soldiers left Pembroke in 1979. On 16 March 1977, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, Admiral of the Fleet, took the salute as 41 Commando Royal Marines trooped the Regimental Colour at the parade ground by St Andrew's Barracks. This ceremony marked the beginning of the withdrawal of British Forces from Malta. Since then, all the land which had been acquired by the British during their period in Malta has been relinquished to the Maltese Government.


Recent times

Pembroke remained neglected between 1979 and 1984. By the mid-1980s some of the former barracks were converted into housing projects. There was also a short-lived, large holiday complex which only lasted a few years (Medisle Village complex, including the Raffles discothèque and the Victoria Pub). On 4 July 1983, the Maltese Parliament approved a motion to commence issuing plots of land for sale/lease for the purpose of building residential houses. The first residents settled in 1986. In 1993, Pembroke was separated from St. Julian's and formally became a new town. Pembroke has since developed into a pleasant residential town and a rather green town by Maltese standards. It is popular with visiting language students particularly during the summer months. The Archbishop of Malta declared Pembroke as a parish on 8 December 2004. Formerly, Pembroke fell within the parish of St. Julian's and later as an autonomous zone under Ibraġ. The parish is dedicated to the
Resurrection of Christ The resurrection of Jesus () is Christian belief that God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion, starting—or restoring—his exalted life as Christ and Lord. According to the New Testament writing, Jesus w ...
. Unlike most towns and villages in Malta, Pembroke does not hold a village festa. The new church is built on the same site of the former small chapel erected in 1945 by German POWs. The town is well known for hosting a high concentration of schools and educational institutions. The main schools are the following: St. Clare Primary and Secondary State Schools; St. Clare College Girls' Junior Lyceum (formerly Sir Adrian Dingli Junior Lyceum); St Patrick's Craft Centre; Verdala International School; Framingham State College; Sprachcaffe Languages Plus; St. Catherine's High School; Institute of Tourism Studies; St. Michael's Foundation; STC Training; San Miguel School and Middlesex University (Malta Campus). Pembroke is also associated with sports. The Pembroke Athleta Football Club represents the town in the national league. Other clubs established in Pembroke include Pembroke Athleta Sports Club; Luxol Sports Club; Melita F.C.; Pembroke Rackets Tennis Club; Assoċjazzjoni tal-BMX; Judo Federation; Spinach Fitness Club and the Malta Archery Club.


Geology

Pembroke has the last large expanse of karstland left in Malta, covering over 60 hectares of garigue. Endangered plants are still found in the area, the most important of these is the thorny salad-burnet (). Aleppo pines () dominate the forested areas. The coastal zone is designated a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The rocky coast, watercourse and karstland surrounding and including the Pembroke rifle ranges are scheduled locally as 'Areas of Ecological Importance' and 'Sites of Scientific Importance', whereas the rifle ranges themselves are protected as historic structures. This garigue zone hugs the coast and is interrupted by the reverse osmosis plant, the largest such plant in Malta. The plant was purposely placed on the Pembroke coast due to the cleanliness of the pristine sea water in the area, free from any effluent or any agricultural run-off . A geological feature unique in the
Maltese archipelago The geography of Malta is dominated by water. Malta is an archipelago of coralline limestone, located in Europe, in the Mediterranean Sea, 81 kilometres south of Sicily, Italy,From Żebbuġ in Malta, coordinates: 36°04'48.2"N 14°15'06.7"E to Cav ...
is the large natural cavern at the ''Ħarq Ħammiem'' valley which separates Pembroke from St. Julian's. The large cavern tops a closed lake having a surface area of 300 square meters and is very deep. An underwater survey commissioned by the Maltese government in 2001 discovered the lake's depths were even deeper than previously assumed. The underwater formation consists of two large chambers interconnected by a corridor. The lower chamber is fully submerged. This unique feature is not well known as access to the cavern is blocked by a private enterprise and this irregular claim does not seem to be challenged by the authorities . The
Malta Environment and Planning Authority The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA, ) was the national agency responsible for the environment and planning in Malta. It was established to regulate the environment and planning on the Maltese islands of Malta, Gozo and other small ...
(MEPA) has declared Ħarq Ħammiem cave and the full extent of the remnant valley system as an Area of Ecological Importance and Site of Scientific Importance as per Government Notice No. 370/08 in the Government Gazette dated 23 April 2008.


Twin towns – sister cities

Pembroke is twinned with: *
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
(since 2002) * Pembroke, Wales, United Kingdom (since 2002) * Roccalumera,
Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
(since 2002) * Auragne, Occitanie,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...


Zones in Pembroke

* Fort Pembroke (currently Verdala International School) *Medisle Village (concentration of converted Barracks around Alamein Road) *St. George Barracks (converted to housing) *San Patrizju (St. Patrick's - converted to housing) *St. Andrew's (converted to housing) *White Rocks (abandoned building complex, pending re-development) *Pembroke Parade Ground (now the Pembroke Park and Ride, formerly a
heliport A heliport is a small airport which has a helipad, suitable for use by helicopters, powered lift, and various types of vertical lift aircraft. Designated heliports typically contain one or more touchdown and liftoff areas and may also hav ...
) *The Ranges (part of which still in use by the
Armed Forces of Malta The Armed Forces of Malta () is the name given to the combined armed services of Malta. The AFM is a brigade sized organisation consisting of a headquarters and three separate regiments, with minimal air and naval forces. Since Malta is the ...
)


Pembroke main roads

*Triq Camillo Sceberras (C. Sceberras Street) *Triq Cassino (Cassino Street) *Triq Falaise (Falaise Road) *Triq G. Scibberas (G. Scibberas Street) *Triq il-Fortizza (Fort Street) *Triq Alamein (Alamein Road) *Triq il-Mediterran (Mediterranean Street) *Triq in-Normandija (Normandy Road) *Triq Sant' Andrija (St Andrew's Road)


References

Denis Darmanin: Pembroke; From a British Garrison to a Modern Civilian Town. Pembroke Local Council, Wise Owl Publications, 2010, 128pp.


External links


Pembroke Local CouncilVerdala International School
{{Authority control Towns in Malta Local councils of Malta Populated places established in 1986