TAKING a step back in time just became a little bit easier at one of Pembrokeshire’s most iconic sites of military heritage, thanks to a donation from Valero Pembroke Refinery.

Chapel Bay Fort and Museum in Angle is home to one of the UK’s best kept Victorian fortifications, with a stunning collection of guns, ammunition and military artefacts.

Built in 1891, in its heyday Chapel Bay Fort was home to over 90 men manning three ten inch rifled muzzle-loading guns, in one of the first concrete-built forts in the area providing for the vital defence of the Milford Haven Waterway.

Now, thanks to a donation from Valero, volunteers at Chapel Bay have reinstated artillery shelving in the main magazine, allowing the thousands of tourists and locals who visit the museum each year to better visualise how the fort might have looked at the time. The heavy timbered structure was used to store the high explosive projectiles fired by the Fort’s guns from the Victorian era and during both the First and Second World Wars.

Emma Geear from Chapel Bay Fort, said: “We immensely value this support from Valero that will enable us to really improve the visitor experience here at Chapel Bay Fort, helping us to convey the important part fortifications like this one played in the defence of the realm over many years. As a charitable organisation we are dependent on the goodwill of our supporters like Valero and our amazing volunteers, and if anyone is interested in learning more about our volunteering opportunities we encourage them to get in touch.”

Stephen Thornton, refinery public affairs manager, said: “The facilities and collections at Chapel Bay Fort are second to none in terms of military heritage in the UK, and Valero is delighted to help support this wonderful heritage asset situated in the beautiful surroundings of the Angle peninsula.”

Angle’s Chapel Bay Fort and Museum launches its fourth exciting season on Good Friday, March 30. It is open 10am to 4pm, on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays until the end of October.