North East Gun Tower (Front Street)
The two gun towers – known locally as ‘Martello’ towers - formed part of the defences of the Royal Dockyard.
Construction of the Front Street tower began in 1849 and the fort was built to house one officer and 33 gunners who would have manned the three 32-pounder smooth bore cannons which formed the main rooftop battery, and also the three 12-pounder bronze howitzers on the main level.
Trading ketches beached alongside the gun tower in Front street, now a museum
By the late 1870s the development of armoured warships and rifled guns firing explosive shells meant that the smooth bore cannons on the Gun Tower were obsolete. The guns were removed in about 1881. In WWII, three Lewis light anti-aircraft machine guns were positioned on top of the tower to deal with low-flying enemy aircraft. The Gun Tower is now a museum and visitor centre, housing displays on the history of Pembroke Dockyard and on the fortifications of Milford Haven. On the roof is an 18-pounder smooth bore cannon, cast in about 1812-16, which came from Popton Fort. It is still capable of being fired.
From the gun tower a sentry post can be seen on the dockyard wall. This sentry post was originally part of Paterchurch Fort and was probably moved to its present site in the 1840s.
