WELCOME TO FORT PEMBROKE SINCE 1987, THE FORT HAS HOUSED THE VERDALA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
FORT PEMBROKE WAS BUILT BETWEEN 1875 AND 1878 BY THE BRITISH MILITARY TO HELP DEFEND THE RIGHT FLANK OF THE VICTORIA LINES AND PROTECT THE SEAWARD APPROACH TO THE GRAND HARBOUR
THE ENTRANCE TO THE FORT WAS PROTECTED BY AN OUTWORKS (FLECHE) WHICH ALSO HAD A PLATFORM TO MOUNT FIELD GUNS.
THIS FLECHE AT FORT PEMBROKE IS SIMILAR TO THE ONE IN FORT SAN LEONARDO BUT HAS NOW BEEN LOST AND REPLACED BY ST ANDREWS HOUSE ON JUNO STREET.
WALKING PAST THE ENTRANCE BRIDGE, YOU COME TO TWO ROOMS, ONE ON EACH SIDE. FACING THE FORT, THE ROOM ON YOUR RIGHT WAS THE GUARDS’ ROOM AND THE ROOM ON THE LEFT WAS THE PRISONERS’ ROOM. TODAY THE GUARDS’ ROOM IS THE HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE, WHILE THE PRISONERS’ ROOM IS THE OFFICE OF THE HIGH SCHOOL PA AND RECEPTION.
HERE’S A CROSS SECTION PLAN. THE TOP VISUAL SHOWS THE BRIDGE CROSSING LEADING INTO THE FIRST SQUARE OPENING. A WATER TANK IS CLEARLY VISIBLE. THE OTHER VISUALS DEPICT THE OTHER LEVELS ALONG THE WHOLE FORT.
THESE ARE THE BASEMENT PLANS, CLEARLY SHOWING THE LOCATION AND SIZE OF THE WATER TANK AS WELL AS THE LOCATION OF THE 3 TUNNELS AND THE MAGAZINES.
THE FORT’S INTERIOR SPACES AND ROOMS SERVED SEVERAL SPECIFIC MILITARY AND CIVILIAN FUNCTIONS OVER TIME: CASEMATED QUARTERS: VAULTED, BOMB-PROOF STONE ROOMS BUILT INTO THE FORT'S STRUCTURE TO SAFELY HOUSE THE GARRISON TROOPS. UNDERGROUND MAGAZINES: SECURE, SUBTERRANEAN CHAMBERS DESIGNED TO STORE GUNPOWDER, ARTILLERY SHELLS, AND LATER, SMALL-ARMS AMMUNITION. ARTILLERY STORE AND GUN CREW SPACES: ROOMS DESIGNATED FOR HOLDING EQUIPMENT AND ACCOMMODATING THE SOLDIERS MANNING THE COASTAL DEFENSE GUNS. AMMUNITION DEPOT: FOLLOWING THE 1890S WHEN ITS ORIGINAL ARMAMENTS BECAME OBSOLETE, THE FORT'S STORAGE ROOMS WERE REPURPOSED PRIMARILY AS A DEPOT FOR SMALL-ARMS AMMUNITION. SINCE 1987, THE HISTORIC ROOMS AND COMPOUND OF FORT PEMBROKE HAVE BEEN FULLY REPURPOSED TO HOUSE CLASSROOMS AND FACILITIES FOR THE VERDALA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL.
IN 1879 THE FOLLOWING ARMAMENT WAS APPROVED FOR THE FORT:
THREE 11-INCH 25-TON RML GUNS IN BARBETTE MOUNTINGS ONE 64-PDR ON A DISAPPEARING GUN CARRIAGE ONE FIELD GUN IN A PREPARED POSITION ON THE NORTHERN CORNER OF THE FORT 32-PDR SB GUNS FOR THE COUNTERSCARP GALLERIES
ALL MOUNTED ‘EN BARBETTE’ - A PROTECTIVE CIRCULAR CONCRETE EMPLACEMENT AROUND A GUN THAT FIRED OVER THE TOP OF THE PARAPET)
THE ARMAMENTS COULD COVER A VAST COASTAL AREA - FROM ST JULIANS BAY ALL THE WAY TO WHAT IS KNOW AS BAĦAR IĊ-ĊAGĦAQ TODAY.
BY THE MID-1890S, THE FORT'S ARMAMENT BECAME OBSOLETE, AND INSTEAD OF UPGRADING THE ARMAMENTS, THE NEARBY PEMBROKE BATTERY WAS BUILT. THE FORT BECAME AN AMMUNITION DEPOT AND STORAGE AREA FOR SMALL ARMS AMMUNITION. ITS GATE WAS WIDENED AND A FIXED METAL BRIDGE REPLACED THE ORIGINAL ROLLING BRIDGE. IN WORLD WAR II, THE FORT WAS USED AS A PRISONER-OF-WAR CAMP, HOUSING GERMAN PRISONERS. THE BRITISH MILITARY ESTABLISHMENTS IN PEMBROKE WERE CLOSED IN 1978 AND THE FORT REMAINED UNUSED FOR NINE YEARS UNTIL 1987.
THROUGH THIS RED DOOR, WE HAVE ACCESS TO 3 TUNNELS - EACH LEADING TO A DIFFERENT PART OF THE DITCH. THE DITCH SURRONDS THE ELONGATED HEXAGONAL SHAPE OF THE FORT.