Pembroke, Malta
Encyclopedia
Pembroke, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
's newest town, is on the northern coast of Malta. To the east is Paceville
Paceville
Located west of St. Julian's, Malta, Paceville is the name given to an informal district heavily populated with nightclubs, bars, pubs and restaurants, and is a very important nightlife hub on the island. Paceville is located between Spinola Point and Dragonara Point, delimiting Spinola Bay and St...
, the nightlife district of Malta. The coastal town and tourist hub of St. Julian's
St. Julian's
St Julian's is a town in Malta situated along the coast, north of the country's capital, Valletta. It is known for tourism-oriented businesses, such as hotels, restaurants and nightclubs, centred mostly in an area known as Paceville.-General:...
lies to the southeast, and the residential area of Swieqi
Swieqi
Is-Swieqi is a municipality and town in northeastern Malta. It is a residential area just 15 minutes by bus from Tas-Sliema and within striking distance of Malta's nightlife and entertainment centres, Paceville and St. Julian's. As Is-Swieqi developed, its residential estates took over farmland...
lies to the south. The hilltop village of Madliena is to its west, and Baħar Iċ-Ċagħaq lies some distance to the northwest.
Pembroke has an area of 2.3 km². The area hugs a coastal zone with a rocky beach. The highest point lies at 65 meters (210 feet) above sea level (at Suffolk Road).
The town population stood at 3,036 as at December 2008 (NSO Demographic Review 2008).
Pembroke is named after Robert Henry Herbert
Robert Herbert, 12th Earl of Pembroke
Robert Henry Herbert, 12th Earl of Pembroke and 9th Earl of Montgomery was a British nobleman in line for great estates and position as head of the distinguished Herbert family and heir to the earldom of Pembroke, but lived an irregular life in exile after a dissolute youth.-Early years:Herbert...
, the 12th Earl of Pembroke
Earl of Pembroke
Earl of Pembroke is a title created ten times, all in the Peerage of England. It was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, which is the site of Earldom's original seat Pembroke Castle...
and British Secretary at War
Secretary at War
The Secretary at War was a political position in the English and later British government, with some responsibility over the administration and organization of the Army, but not over military policy. The Secretary at War ran the War Office. It was occasionally a cabinet level position, although...
in 1859.
History
The first known buildings in the area of the town date back to the time of the Knights of the Order of Saint John who built two Watch Towers on its coast, and these served as a means of defence for the Grand HarbourGrand Harbour
Grand Harbour is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been used as a harbour since at least Phoenician times...
, situated approximately 6 km to the East. However, it was the British
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
who were instrumental in the development and fortification of Pembroke by building a military base with training grounds. At this time, Pembroke formed part of Għargħur. The first barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
were constructed between 1859 and 1862 and were named after England's patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
, St. George. Other barracks were built later and named after Ireland and Scotland's patron saints, St. Patrick and St. Andrew. Fort Pembroke was built between 1875 and 1878 to safeguard the seaward approach towards the Grand Harbour and to defend the right flank of the Victoria Lines. It is now the site of an international school offering the IGCSE and IB programmes. Later, Pembroke Battery was built between 1897 and 1899 to serve the same purposes but housing newer guns protected by reinforced concrete emplacements. Only one gun emplacement survives today.
The military heritage of Pembroke is still evident as several buildings from the British era survive to this day. The Pembroke Military Cemetery marks the repose of 593 casualties including 315 from the second world war. 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 Mondays to Friday.
During the Second World War, German prisoners of war were held in Pembroke's forts and during their stay, built a small chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
which served the religious needs of the troops. The British military base at Pembroke was run down in 1977 and the last British soldiers left Pembroke in 1979. Since then, all the land which had been acquired by the British during their period in Malta has been relinquished to the Maltese Government
Politics of Malta
The politics of Malta takes place within a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Malta is the constitutional head of state. Executive Authority is vested in the President of Malta with the general direction and control of the Government of Malta...
.
Recent times
Pembroke remained neglected between 1979 and the mid-1980s. By the mid 1980s some of the former barracks were converted into housing projects, there was also an unsuccessful large holiday complex which only lasted a few years (Medisle Village complex). From 1985, the Government commenced to issue plots of land for sale for the purpose of building residential houses. The first residents settled in 1986. Pembroke has since become 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. Julians and later under Swieqi. The parish is dedicated to the Resurrection of Christ. Unlike most towns and villages in Malta, Pembroke does not hold a village festa.
The town is well known for hosting a high concentration of schools and educational institutions including the St Clare Primary and Secondary State Schools; Verdala International School; Framingham State College; Sprachcaffe; St.Catherine's High School; Institute of Tourism Studies; St. Michael's Foundation; STC Training; Sir Adrian Dingli Junior Lyceum/St. Clare College Girls' Junior Lyceum Pembroke; Institute of Management(MIM) and San Miguel School.
Rare and unusual Geology
Pembroke has the last large expanse of Karstland left in Malta. Endangered plants are still found in the area, the most important of these is the thorny salad-burnet (Tursin il-ghawl xewwieki). Aleppo pines (Pinus Halepensis - Znuber) dominate the forested areas.A geological feature unique in the Maltese archepelago is the large natural cavern at the 'Harq Hammiem' valley which separates Pembroke from St. Julians. 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 . 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 April 23, 2008.
Town twinnings
The Town of Pembroke, Malta is twinned with the following 3 towns:-Pembroke Dock, Wales, UK -since 2002
-Pembroke, Wales, UK -since 2002
-Roccalumera, Sicily, Italia -since 2006
Zones in Pembroke
- Fort Pembroke
- Medisle Village
- St. George Barracks
- San Patrizju (St. Patrick's)
- St. Andrew's
- White Rocks
- Pembroke Parade Ground (falsely referred to as Luxol grounds)
- The Ranges (part of which still in use by the Armed Forces of Malta)
Pembroke main roads
- Triq Camillo Sceberras (C.Sceberras Street)
- Triq Cassino (Cassino Street)
- Triq Falaise (Falaise Street)
- Triq G. Scibberas (G. Scibberas Street)
- Triq il-Fortizza (Fort Street)
- Triq Alamein (Alamein Road)
- Triq il-Mediterran (Mediterranean Street)
- Triq in-Normandija (Normandy Street)
- Triq Sant' Andrija (St Andrew's Road)