IN Britain’s major royal dockyards an imposing clock tower was among the impressive architectural features – sited in a commanding position, writes the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre.
The Royal Dockyard at Pembroke Dock was one which boasted an elegant clock tower with four faces.
After the closure of Pembroke Dockyard in 1926 the Royal Air Force took over a part of the redundant area, and many of the old dockyard structures were knocked down to make way for hangars and other buildings for the flying boat station. However, the storehouse building upon which the clock tower perched was spared demolition.
All that changed at the beginning of November 1944 when a fire broke out in the roof of the storehouse. There were fears at one stage that the whole building would be ravaged but it was saved by prompt action by the RAF’s own firefighters and the local National Fire Service team.
The clock tower was severely damaged and sadly was removed.
Today the clock tower building still stands and houses the offices of Irish Ferries. Suggestions of restoring the tower on the building have been mooted in the past and it would make a significant connection with Pembroke Dock’s naval past if this could be achieved one day.
• Photographs from the Group Captain Guy Bolland Collection in the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre Archive.
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