Pembroke, The Northern Region, Malta

🇲🇹 Pembroke is a town in the Northern Region of Malta, and it is considered to be the country's newest locality. To the east is Paceville, the nightlife district of Malta. The coastal town and tourist hub of St. Julian's lies to the south-east, and the residential area of Swieqi lies to the south. The hilltop village of Madliena is to its west, and Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq lies to the northwest.

Pembroke covers an area of 2.3 km² (0.89 sq mi). The area hugs a coastal zone with a rocky beach. The highest point lies at 64 meters (210 feet) above sea level (at Suffolk Road, exit to St. Andrew's Rd). Pembroke was formerly a British military base from the 1850s to 1979.

Pembroke is named after Robert Henry Herbert, the 12th Earl of Pembroke, and was authorised by Sidney Herbert, younger half-brother of Robert and Secretary at War in 1859.

Pembroke was formerly part of St. Julian's. Pembroke officially became a town by virtue of the Local Councils Act (1993). This act recognised Pembroke as one of the 68 localities in Malta, with its own local council.

History The first known buildings in the area of the town date back to the time of the Order of Saint John. The Knights built two watch towers on the extreme ends of the current Pembroke coast. The first of these is Saint George's Tower, which was built in 1638 as part of a series of coastal watch towers financed by Grandmaster Giovanni Paolo Lascaris. The second tower, Madliena Tower, forms part of a network of 13 coastal watch towers, collectively known as the De Redin towers, which were built between 1658 and 1659 during the reign of Grandmaster Martin de Redin to protect the then uninhabited northern coast of Malta. These 13 towers adorn the official coat of arms and flag of Pembroke, reflecting the town's military heritage.

However, it was the British who were instrumental in the development and fortification of Pembroke by building a military base complete with a hospital, cemetery, school, parade grounds, training grounds and shooting ranges. At this time, Pembroke formed part of Għargħur. Initially, troops were billeted in tents and the area was known as the Pembroke Cantonment. The first barracks were constructed between 1859 and 1862 overlooking St. George's Bay and were named after England's patron saint, St. George. Later, other barracks were built and were named after the patron saints of Ireland and Scotland, St. Patrick and St. Andrew. Fort Pembroke was built between 1875 and 1878 to safeguard the seaward approach towards the Grand Harbour situated approximately 6 km to the east, as well as to defend the right flank of the Victoria Lines. Its main armament comprised three 11-inch R.M.L. guns and one 64pr R.M.L. gun on a Moncrieff Mounting. The fort is surrounded by a ditch and glacis and contains underground magazines and casemated quarters for the garrison. The site now houses the Verdala International School. Between 1897 and 1899, Pembroke Battery was built nearby to serve the same purposes but housing newer guns with a longer range, protected by reinforced concrete emplacements. Pembroke Battery was armed with two 9.2-inch breech-loading MK X guns. Only one gun emplacement survives today, located between Burma Road and Dun Luigi Rigord Street.

The military heritage of Pembroke Army Garrison is still evident as several buildings from the British era survive to this day preserved as heritage structures. The Pembroke Military Cemetery marks the repose of 593 casualties, including 315 from World War II. 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 between Monday to Friday.

Recent times Pembroke remained neglected between 1979 and 1984. By the mid-1980s some of the former barracks were converted into housing projects. There was also a short-lived, large holiday complex which only lasted a few years (Medisle Village complex, including the Raffles discothèque and the Victoria Pub). On 4 July 1983, the Maltese Parliament approved a motion to commence issuing plots of land for sale/lease for the purpose of building residential houses. The first residents settled in 1986. In 1993, Pembroke was separated from St. Julian's and formally became a new town. Pembroke has since developed into 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. Julian's and later as an autonomous zone under Ibraġ. The parish is dedicated to the Resurrection of Christ. Unlike most towns and villages in Malta, Pembroke does not hold a village festa. The new church is built on the same site of the former small chapel erected in 1945 by German POWs.

The town is well known for hosting a high concentration of schools and educational institutions. The main schools are the following: St. Clare Primary and Secondary State Schools; St. Clare College Girls' Junior Lyceum (formerly Sir Adrian Dingli Junior Lyceum); St Patrick's Craft Centre; Verdala International School; Framingham State College; Sprachcaffe Languages Plus; St. Catherine's High School; Institute of Tourism Studies; St. Michael's Foundation; STC Training; San Miguel School and Middlesex University (Malta Campus).

Pembroke is also associated with sports. The Pembroke Athleta Football Club represents the town in the national league. Other clubs established in Pembroke include Pembroke Athleta Sports Club; Luxol Sports Club; Melita F.C.; Pembroke Rackets Tennis Club; Assoċjazzjoni tal-BMX; Judo Federation; Spinach Fitness Club and the Malta Archery Club.