Albro Castle

Albro Castle stands in the village of St Dogmaels in north Pembrokeshire. It was built in 1840 as a workhouse to serve 26 parishes across Cardiganshire and Pembrokeshire. The design came from William Owen of Haverfordwest, with Benjamin Evans constructing the building for £2,700. The complex had three blocks linked by a central spine, forming four open courtyards. Inside, large rooms were lit from both sides, and stone stairways led between floors. The workhouse became overcrowded quickly, holding 224 people within four years of opening. By 1845 it housed 441 inmates in a space meant for 120. Conditions worsened over time, with typhoid outbreaks in the 1920s and a 1929 inspection calling it the worst in Wales. After closing in 1935, it became a U.S. Army barracks during World War II, housing 180 men who left for Normandy on D-day. Today, Albro Castle is privately owned holiday accommodation. The original bakehouse and Tudor-style doorways remain, along with the observation room at the spine’s centre. The surrounding hedges and access road from the beach still frame the site. The building’s history is visible in its stone stairways and large, well-lit rooms.