The strong links between Pembroke and the Tudor dynasty should be highlighted with a statue of Henry VII outside the town’s castle, according to a Carmarthenshire historian.

Nathen Amin, who is researching his first book on the historical Welsh origins of the Tudor dynasty, said he is surprised by “the lack of celebration towards the life of Henry Tudor at this castle.”

He added: “This isn’t merely a location with a tenuous link to the Tudors, it’s an integral part of the Tudor story as the birthplace of Henry VII.

“If people are willing to travel hundreds of miles, sometimes thousands, to visit Tudor locations then surely Pembroke and indeed Pembrokeshire should be marketing itself as the birthplace of the Tudor dynasty.”

“Pembrokeshire’s most famous son deserves more than a couple of mere plaques and in an age of austerity any attempt to bring in tourism to boost the stuttering economy must be seriously looked at.”

The newly-elected mayor of Pembroke, Councillor Melanie Phillips said she had been trying for “years and years” to get a statue of the Tudor King outside the castle.

Of her previous efforts she said: “Simon Hart was brilliant, I had a meeting with him and we agreed we needed a statue.

“The trustees of the castle even gave us a space outside for the statue, but they didn’t have the funding. We tried and tried but nobody had the funding.”

Cllr Phillips, who worked as a Castle guide for around 15 years added: “I remember a man from Dorset telling me they had statues of Thomas Hardy everywhere and he was only an author. Since then it’s been kind of a passion.

“We’ve got the founder of the Tudor dynasty born in Pembroke Castle and we haven’t even got a blue plaque.”

Cllr Phillips added that it would be “brilliant” if Mr Amin helped get a statue for the town.

She added: “I think it’s disgraceful we haven’t got a statue. They are always advertising about Pembrokeshire’s beaches but we don’t advertise about the birthplace of Henry VII.”