The Defensible Barracks is an imposing landmark building that dominates the local landscape and is well-known throughout the region for its distinctive architecture and unique history - and now it could be yours for the same price as a standard semi-detached house in the city.
Overlooking Pembroke Dock, the fort from the past is considered to be one of the most unusual barrack buildings in Britain, and it is thought The Defensible Barracks could even be the last example of a 'square Bastian trace' fortification in Europe, which is based on a 'star' fort design initially created in 16th century Italy.
According to website British Listed Buildings, construction on the Grade II listed fort began in 1841 and was completed by 1846, with an estimated build cost of £75,000; it's going to take a lot more than that to bring the building back to life with a full renovation project but the unique potential of the property waiting to be released is hard to price.
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Located on Barrack Hill overlooking the Royal Dockyard, at the time the fort was built it was used to house a variety of divisions of the Royal Marines from around the UK. In 1882 it became the headquarters of the ninth Welsh Garrison Artillery Brigade, housing 16 cannons to defend the Royal Dockyard in Milford Haven from an attack.
Famous past residents at the barracks are said to include Gordon of Khartoum, who became a national hero during the Crimean War, and actor Arthur Lowe who played Captain Mainwaring in BBC's long-running comedy show Dad's Army.
After the Second World War the Pembrokeshire fort was used for training territorial artillery with soldiers eventfully leaving the site in the 1960s, and it was later sold to South Pembrokeshire council, who then sold it on in 1987.
The fort is entered through a north gatehouse, complete with the original holes for muskets and winches for the former sliding drawbridge, it is just the start of a mesmerising wander through the myriad of buildings that still emit the atmosphere of the past.
Original features to spot also include canon batteries, around 700 rifle loops within its walls, and the Prince of Wales feathers and VR crests found on facades and on ironwork around the site.
Joe Martin, senior associate director at Strutt & Parker says: "It's a major part of the landscape as much as the industrial buildings in the area. Visiting it, I was taken aback by it - the walk up to the gate building is amazing and the central square has wonderful architecture, very Georgian in design. It lends itself in design to future townhouse style properties; it would be an amazing place to live."
Once you enter the 140 foot central parade ground, the size, scope and potential of this historic building becomes clear. This central courtyard is totally surrounded by a quad shaped two-storey building and these remaining unconverted sections of the fort were once the barrack rooms.
Most of the barrack's battlements remain, as do a number of the outbuildings. These external structures that sit within the outer wall include a former detention room, cellblock and a fire engine shed.
There is also a basement under the main fort building, formerly used for equipment and ammunition storage, which also has scope for development.
The fort occupies approximately 4.45 acres of land, including a five metre deep dry moat. As with the main building, parts of the outside space have been renovated and landscaped, but much of the outside space still requires attention.
The barracks has so many unique aspects embedded within its historic walls and it includes a unit that Joe Martin says looks like a hairdresser's salon, but it is a total lie.
In the past if you turned up for a quick trim you'd be disappointed as the building is actually an ammunition store disguised as a hairdressers to confuse any enemy invaders. See more exclusive pictures of inside the barracks when Wales Online visited in 2020 here.
Joe Martin says: "There are separate buildings that provide the scope to support a number of options for the future. In the past it has had planning for a hotel, which it could still be, but we also see it as having potential as a mixed use residential and commercial building."
The 20-sided stone fort has been partially renovated, with one section of the building already converted into a number of apartments, but there is still the majority left to complete.
In 2018 the barracks hit the property market for a price of £1.2m and included planning permission for the remaining and substantial sections of the building to be transformed into a 56-bedroom hotel plus the building on the north-east battlement has planning permission for conversion into a coffee shop.
The barracks went to auction in the autumn of 2018 with a guide price of £850,000. The building then appeared again at auction with a different auction in the summer of 2019 when it sold for an undisclosed amount.
The site was bought by Middlesex based owners called VR1844 Ltd who told Wales Online they had plans to spend around £5m to transform the building over four years into residential apartments, a museum, a café and even a wine bar, in a bid to return it to its former glory. Find out more about that here.
But this positive future for the building has been quashed by the Covid-19 pandemic which has changed the company's situation and its future direction, and they are said to be devastated to be putting it back on the market.
Joe Martin says the current owners have had conversations with Cadw and the local authority about the renovation of the Grade II listed building, parts of which are listed as scheduled monuments, and it is said that they have been supportive.
In 2020 when Wales Online visited the barracks a Cadw Spokesperson said: "We are in contact with the consortium at Pembroke Defence Barracks and will have discussions with those involved in securing a long term future for the fort."
Joe Martin has family members that live near the barracks and so has personal knowledge of the importance of the building to the local community as well as its unique offering of history, potential and location.
He says: "It's an important building in the local area and for its economy. But it's also a building of national significance and if it is renovated well and brought back to life it could lift the whole area.
"Thanks to its incredible scenery and heritage, Pembrokeshire is continuing to attract people, both from the surrounding regions and further afield. The stunning coast and beaches are hugely popular and easily accessible from the Defensible Barracks, whilst Pembrokeshire National Park is also on your doorstep.
"Nearby Pembroke town itself is also the subject of a multi-million-pound regeneration scheme which will no doubt bring the area further into the spotlight.
"We want to draw in a buyer who has the funds and wants to be part of restoring a building of not just national but international importance - there are only a handful of these types of buildings in the world and this one is unique to Welsh history."
Joe Martin says of course it will be a huge investment but the reward for the effort and budget spent will be saving a one-off slice of Welsh history and providing a boost to the economy, as well as homes, if the mixed used option is the future path chosen for this incredible building.
Pembroke Defensible Barracks is on the market for offers over £500,000, call Strutt & Parker on 01584 873711 to find out more. And don't miss the best dream homes in Wales, auction properties, renovation stories, and interiors - join the Amazing Welsh Homes newsletter, sent to your inbox twice a week.
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