News

Barnard’s Tower ‘belongs to the people’

Published

10 years ago

February 29, 2016

Barnard’s Tower: Will the Town Council change their minds about the tower

ONE of Pembrokeshire’s most historic buildings is currently up for sale but there is a reluctance to do anything with it.

Barnard’s Tower in Pembroke, has been up for sale since July 2013 and many discussions have been held over what to do with it.

The tower is described as being ‘part and parcel of Pembroke’ by Cllr Jonathan Nutting who feels that Pembroke Town Council should take ownership of the building for the people of the town.

However, Pembroke Town Council have said they do not want to take the tower on because of potential costs that may be incurred in the future.

Cllr Jonathan Nutting says that the council should work together with organisations to turn the tower into a tourist attraction.

Pembrokeshire County Council have said that they may be able to gift the tower to the Town Council but there has been no movement since.

The Town Council has discussed the Tower at a number of its Town Council meetings but in January, it was agreed that the Town Council would not go ahead with the purchase.

Many people in the town see the Tower as an important part of Pembroke and are willing to work with the Town Council should they decide to take the building on.

HISTORY

Barnard’s Tower is of great historic importance to Pembroke and is a 13th century three storey tower which is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

The building overlooks the Mill Pond and forms part of the town wall.

It was founded by William de Valence and flanks the north-east angle of the medieval town wall of Pembroke, it was built for independent defence.

The entrance to the fore-building was once defended by a bridge-pit and its vaulted passage was guarded by a gate and a portcullis. A spiral stair case , gives access to all the floors and the dome-vault roof supports the remains of a parapet.

The deep, plunging arrow loops are similar to those seen in the Barbican Tower at Pembroke Castle, where they date from c.1260 and from which they were probably derived.

The roof dome is intact, and the whole structure with its fireplace and lavatory is a strong, almost self-contained defensive unit; this was probably necessary as it was isolated on the north-eastern end of town, almost half a mile from the castle.

Barnard’s Tower has been subject to regular and on-going programmes of consolidation and repair since at least the mid-1970s, including the construction of the low walls against the southern face of the tower.

Today the tower is home to a nursery roost of Daubentons Bats.

TAKE A CHANCE

Cllr Jonathan Nutting wants to convince the Town Council that they should take ownership of the tower to take a chance for the future of the town of Pembroke.

Pembrokeshire County Council has been in talks with interested parties in the past about the Tower but they are now looking to gift the tower to the Town Council.

Barnard’s Tower, along with two other buildings, was put up for sale by the council in July 2013.

At the time a spokesperson said that the main reason for selling the Tower was that the Council does not have the resources to hold underutilised assets.

The Council also said they would welcome expressions of interest for the tower from the Town Council.

There was anger at the plans to sell the buildings in the community as it was felt that there had not been enough dialogue between the Council and Town Council about their plans.

Cllr Jonathan Nutting said that Pembrokeshire County Council had acted disgracefully in their advertisements of the buildings as there was no consultation with Pembroke Town Council.

He even suggested that the Town Council should make a starting offer of £1 for the tower and another offer was also made in April 2014.

Two months later Pembrokeshire County Council said they were happy to work with Pembroke Town Council to create a plan for the tower.

BAT SURVEY COST £1,270

Almost a year later, after meetings about purchasing the tower, the Town Council was asked to do a bat survey of the building.

It was revealed that the survey would cost £1 , 270 and some councillors felt that was too much and asked for another valuation.

However, a second valuation came back higher than the first and in June 2015, it was agreed to go ahead with the survey at the price originally quoted.

The results of the survey came back to the Town Council in November 2015 but councillors were still unsure over the cost of the building.

COUNCILLORS CONCERNED OVER FUTURE COSTS

Cllr Wyn Jenkins said that they should not purchase the building as, in his opinion, they could not afford it.

Cllr Keith Nicholas stated that he was originally in favour of the council purchasing the building but added that they may be expected to pay further costs of services in the town which meant that the Town Council could not take it on.

Cllr Jon Harvey said he was concerned about costs which could be involved in the upkeep of the tower and asked for full costs to be prepared.

Cllr Jonathan Nutting said that the Town Council should not make knee-jerk reactions and felt that they should be looking at the long term and not the short term.

Following a vote of 11 in favour and two against it was resolved to withdraw from the purchase of the tower.

Despite this, in December 2015, Pembrokeshire County Council said that they may be able to gift the Tower to the Town Council.

Councillors were still unsure about the future costs of the building while Cllr Nicholas commented that nothing had changed from the previous meeting.

Pembrokeshire County Council had received other offers but it was felt that the best option would be to pass it on to the Town Council.

This could be done by a Community Asset Transfer at less than market value for local social, economic or environmental benefit.

At the Town Council meeting in January, it was agreed that the matter would be laid on the table and that they would not be going ahead with the purchase of the Tower.

PEMBROKE NEEDS ATTRACTIONS

Speaking to the Herald on February 2, Pembroke Cllr Jonathan Nutting said: “It’s all part of a plan. Pembroke needs attractions to keep people in Pembroke for the whole day rather than just going to the castle and then going off to the beach.

“Barnard’s Tower is part and parcel of what I see as integrated plan because what I did try and sell to them was that it would make a possible interpretation centre for the Town Walls, it would make a possible interpretation for the bats of south Pembrokeshire and we have to take them into account.

“It would make a brilliant interpretation centre because the Mills Ponds are a brilliant bat sanctuary and a place where you can pick up lots of things so it gives a potential for other visitors to use the town in a different way rather than just going to see the castle.

“What we’re trying to get them to do is see the castle as a start off point and they actually go around and in a circle of things that are happening in the town.

“The Council now want to gift the tower to Pembroke, they’re not interested in money, Pembroke doesn’t desperately want to take it on because they can’t see the money for where to do the tower up and put the floors back in.

POTENTIAL IS THERE

“CADW have got no worries as long as the structure is not changed, the bat people have got no problem as long as we take the bats into account. The potential is there but there is no money.

“All the Town Council can see at the moment is that they might have a white elephant on their hands where they have to pay for insurance and then maintenance which could be horrendous.

“We don’t want it just sitting there as a dead tower. The vast majority of visitors don’t even know it’s there because they never get that far and it is quite an important part of the town walls.

“Obviously Pembroke is now looking to invest in the future, we’ve got 21C, the Town Walls Trust and lots of different groups working in the town but they are not coordinated very well and we need a professional so what I am trying to get from the county council and Welsh Government is for them to put a town coordinator in.

“That has the potential to coordinate these groups, coordinate where the income comes from and where the town goes forward.

“We need a tourist industry that attracts people all the time so the tower is an integral part. There is potential to bring together the Town Council, 21C and the Town Walls Trust on a joint project.”

PEMBROKE 21C

Gareth Jones from Pembroke 21C told the Herald: “I was part of a group working in partnership with the Town Council to scope out any potential uses for the Tower.

“Pembroke Town Council are still in discussions about it and we will wait to see what their response is before moving forward.

“We are happy to work with anyone who is trying to retain Barnard’s Tower.

“Barnard’s Tower is a fantastic feature in the Town Wall and it could paint an even richer picture of town and its history as a heritage centre or information centre. Obviously we would have to consider the bats that are in there at the moment.

“It is a great opportunity and I would certainly be up for it and I think we should just go for it and I would like to be a part of any group dealing with this in the future.”

PEMBROKE TOWN WALLS TRUST

Janet Drogan from the Pembroke Town Walls Trust confirmed that they had been to two meetings with the Town Council about the tower.

She added: “The Town Walls Trust has got plenty on its plate to deal with the town walls but it is a part of Pembroke’s heritage. All things need funding.

“It is definitely an asset but there are so many assets that have a potential for the future but we can’t deal with all of them at once.”

In April 2014, The Town Walls Trust posted the following about the state of the wall and Barnard’s Tower on their website. They said: “While some stretches remain well maintained and other parts have been patched up from time to time, other stretches of wall are showing signs of long-term neglect – ivy-covered and in urgent need of re-pointing.

“The town’s three great medieval gateways are all long gone and it is partly in order to ensure that the remaining walls do not go the same way that the Pembroke Town Walls Trust has recently been formed.”

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Although the building may have been declared surplus to requirements there is definitely an appetite to do something with the Tower.

Pembroke Town Council held a full council meeting on Thursday (Feb 11) after The Herald went to press.

Nobody wants this to become a ‘dead tower’ but will the Town Council change their minds to help bring this tower back into use?

Will the Town Council also accept Pembrokeshire County Council’s gifting of the tower to them?

It is clear that there is potential for the tower to become an important part of the town and the people in Pembroke would clearly like to see something done with it.

Crime

Police standoff ends after four-hour incident in Pembroke Dock

Published

1 minute ago

May 9, 2026

Tom Sinclair

TASERS, DOGS AND ARMED OFFICERS SEEN AT ELIZABETH COURT

A FOUR-HOUR police standoff in Pembroke Dock has ended after officers were called to a reported domestic incident.

Dyfed-Powys Police attended an address in Elizabeth Court shortly after 11:00am on Saturday (May 9) where a man was understood to be inside an upstairs room.

Eyewitnesses said officers repeatedly asked the man to come downstairs while police remained outside the property. Tasers were drawn during the incident, and a large number of officers were seen at the scene, including specialist officers, dog handlers and a female inspector.

A police dog unit was also deployed, while what appeared to be a trained negotiator was seen assisting officers as they worked to bring the incident to a safe conclusion.

The standoff continued until around 3:10pm, when the situation was resolved. Police have since left the area.

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesperson earlier said: “Officers are dealing with an ongoing incident in the Elizabeth Court area of Pembroke Dock, following a domestic incident reported this morning.

“This is an isolated incident which is contained to one property, and there is no risk posed to members of the public.

“A large police presence remains at scene and officers are working to bring the situation to a swift conclusion.

“Members of the public are asked to avoid the Elizabeth Court area until further notice.”

The Herald understands officers had attended to arrest a man at the address.

No further details have yet been confirmed by police.

Crime

Teen denies attempted murder of Milford Haven teacher

Published

4 hours ago

May 9, 2026

Tom Sinclair

TEENAGER REMANDED AHEAD OF JULY TRIAL

A 15-YEAR-old boy has denied attempting to murder a teacher during a stabbing incident at Milford Haven School.

The teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, appeared at Swansea Crown Court on Friday (May 8).

He pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and unlawful wounding with a knife.

The charges relate to an incident at Milford Haven School on Thursday, February 5, when emergency services were called after reports that a teacher had been assaulted by a pupil carrying a weapon.

The school was placed into lockdown and pupils were later safely evacuated.

The injured teacher was taken to hospital with stab wounds, but was discharged later the same day.

Police said at the time that specialist officers were supporting the victim and the wider school community.

The teenager was remanded in custody following Friday’s hearing.

A trial is due to begin on July 6.

News

No overall majority in the Senedd: What happens next?

Published

20 hours ago

May 8, 2026

Staff Writer

By Owen Venables

WALES is facing a new political reality after the latest Senedd election produced no overall majority, leaving parties preparing for negotiations that could shape the next Welsh Government.

Plaid Cymru emerged as the largest party following major gains across Wales, while Reform UK recorded a significant breakthrough and Labour suffered its worst Senedd result since devolution began in 1999. However, despite Plaid’s success, the party fell short of the numbers needed to govern alone.

Under the Senedd’s expanded system, 49 seats are required for an outright majority in the 96-seat chamber. No party reached that threshold, meaning Wales has entered a hung Senedd.

This is the first time since devolution that Labour has failed to emerge as the largest party in the Welsh Parliament. The scale of Labour’s losses was further underlined by the defeat of First Minister Eluned Morgan, who lost her own Senedd seat before announcing she would step down as leader of Welsh Labour.

Since the creation of the Senedd in 1999, Labour has either governed alone or led every Welsh administration, sometimes through coalition agreements or cooperation deals with smaller parties.

Attention will now turn to what happens behind closed doors over the coming days.

The most likely immediate step is talks between parties to determine whether a formal coalition government can be formed. Plaid Cymru, as the largest party, will almost certainly have the first opportunity to attempt to form a government, with party leader Rhun ap Iorwerth expected to begin discussions with other parties and independents.

One possible outcome is a coalition agreement involving smaller progressive parties such as the Greens or Liberal Democrats. Another possibility is a confidence-and-supply arrangement, where smaller parties agree to support a government on key votes, such as budgets and confidence motions, without formally entering government themselves.

Labour’s reduced numbers may still leave the party influential despite its heavy losses. In previous Senedd terms, Labour has governed through cooperation agreements, including its 2021 deal with Plaid Cymru. Some political figures may favour cross-party cooperation again in order to provide stability and prevent repeated deadlock votes in the chamber.

Reform UK’s strong performance also changes the political arithmetic significantly. Although the party is unlikely to be part of any governing coalition, its rise means it could become a powerful opposition force within the Senedd. Reform’s gains in former Labour strongholds reflect wider political changes already seen across parts of England, where support for traditional parties has weakened.

If no stable agreement can be reached, the Senedd would continue holding votes to elect a First Minister. Under Welsh parliamentary rules, if no First Minister is successfully appointed within 28 days, another election could potentially be triggered.

The coming days are therefore likely to be dominated by negotiations, compromise and political pressure as parties attempt to determine who can command enough support to govern.

While the election has reshaped Welsh politics, the biggest takeaway is that the era of automatic Labour dominance in Wales has come to an end, and the Senedd is now entering one of the most politically unpredictable periods in its history.