, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, Tel: +44 01437763087
Haverfordwest Castle is located high on the hill in the centre of Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, South West Wales. In its long history the castle has passed through many hands. It was constructed by Tancred, a Flemish lord, early in the 12th century. By 1220 the walls were strong enough to withstand the armies of the Welsh Prince, Llywelyn the Great, who had succeeded in burning the rest of the town to the ground. In the late 13th Century under the patronage of Eleanor, wife of King Edward 1, much of the present walls were constructed. And by the late 14th Century the castle was to be in the hands of Edward the Black Prince (1381 to 1385). Come the 15th Century and Haverfordwest Castle again proved its worth after withstanding the siege by the army of Owain Glyndwr in 1405. But by the 17th Century and the onset of the Civil War Cromwell had ordered its destruction. Fortunately for us this never came about and today the walls of Haverfordwest Castle still stand proudly above the town, and indeed are home to the Haverfordwest Town Museum. In 1779 a prison for the county of Pembrokeshire was built within the remains of the castle. It was replaced in 1820 by a new prison building in the castle grounds, which now houses the Pembrokeshire Record Office. A number of artefacts, including a cell door, leg irons and the original lock from the castle gate are on display. ....
