St Mary the Virgin

Pembroke's history began with the building of Pembroke Castle in 1093. St Mary's church served the people of the Old Town, probably following a Castle Chapel of site unknown. St Mary's was built in the 1200s authorities argue between Early and Late.

The north aisle and tower were built in 1350. in 1500 the Rood Screen was demolished and in 1879 rebuilding of the severely decayed church was undertaken to provide the basis of the current building.

Some re-ordering within the church has been carried out in the last 4 years with the creation of a coffee shop / meeting room in the south porch area as well as the removal of some pews in the main church to provide a exhibition area, toilet, choir vestry and storage area. Currently the bells in the tower are about to be removed and refurbished before being rehung towards the end of 2024. It is hoped that the organ which dates from the1890s which is still played regularly will also be renovated within the next 4 years.

The church has a number of stained glass windows designed by Charles Kempe, a famous Victorian stained glass artist, which depict King Henry VII who was born in Pembroke Castle and John Marshall, second Earl of Pembroke who was Regent to three kings and advisor on Magna Carta. Two windows in the choir are in memory of officers and men of the Kings Shropshire Light Infantry who had camps on the Green and Golden Hill in Pembroke. The baptismal font is Norman possibly used for christening of Henry VII in 1457. It is a Grade I listed building.