Pembroke Dock will be 200 Next Year

In 1814 the construction of a new Naval Dockyard on farmland at Paterchurch, in St Mary's Pembroke, Wales began. Paterchurch was an ancient farmstead with an obscure history, sitting on the southern banks of Milford Haven, over 9 miles from the open sea, but with 6 fathoms of water just a short distance off shore

The Dockyard Wall

The town that grew up around the grey limestone walls surrounding "The Yard" was initially called Pater, but soon the name Pembroke Dock was adopted through common usage. The population grew dramatically in the following decades, with skilled workers moving into the area to build ships for the Navy.

Pembroke Dockyard in about 1830

The first ships slid down the slips in February 1816 - the Ariadne and the Valorous, and over the next 112 years the yard produced a broad range of vessel for the Royal Navy, both large and small, iron and wooden.

The town of Pembroke Dock can trace its origins back to 1814, when the Admiralty started work at Pater. Two hundred years later the time has come to celebrate the bicentennial of the birth of "PD".

The fortunes of the place have ebbed and flowed over the years.This post is an invitation, and indeed a plea,  to all present and former residents of Pembroke Dock to take part in the events planned to celebrate this anniversary and to play a role in leaving a cultural legacy for future generations of "Dockites".







To glean more information come back here soon or visit:

http://www.pembrokedock.org/bicentenary/index.htm


Please do get in touch.
 I'm sure you have a story to tell!