Tenby Town Walls

The Tenby town walls are Grade I-listed medieval defensive walls that surround the old town of Tenby in Pembrokeshire. Built in the 13th century by the Earls of Pembroke, they replaced an earlier earthen rampart and were later strengthened after the town was sacked in 1260. Repairs and improvements continued through the 14th and 15th centuries, with Jasper Tudor ordering further work in 1457. The walls once had four gates, but only the Five Arches Gate remains today. Six towers still stand, though there may have been as many as 24 originally. The walls are among the most important surviving medieval city defences in Britain. They were raised in height and widened in the 15th century to allow better movement for the garrison. A 30-foot-wide moat was also dug to improve defence. The walls feature rubble stone construction with arrow loops and a crenellated parapet. A tablet on the wall marks repairs carried out in 1588 after royal grants helped fund maintenance. Visitors can walk along parts of the walls, particularly the stretch beside South Parade and St Florence Parade leading to the sea. The Five Arches Gate, built in the Elizabethan period, is the only surviving original gate. The walls connect to the town’s history, including Tenby Castle, though the connecting walls no longer exist. The surviving sections offer views of the town and coastline, with the most intact portion running south from Upper Frog Street.