Virtual Tour

Henry VII Tower

The tower known as the Henry VII tower is believed to be the birth place of Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, afterwards King Henry VII. It is Known for certain that Henry was born at Pembroke and the most likely candidate for the bedroom where he first saw the light is the room in this tower containing the magnificent fireplace.

This is much restored but did have traces of some heraldic ornamentation. The antiquarian John Lelend, an older contemporary of King Henry , visited the Castle and noted that the chimney piece was ornamented with the arms and badges of the first Tudor King. He wrote:

In the outer ward I saw the chamber where King Henry VII was born, in knowledge whereof a chimney is new made with the arms and badges of King Henry VII.

It is not entirely certain that this is the actual room where Henry Tudor was born, but it seems to be the most likely. Leland was writing in about 1538 and could have talked to old men whose fathers or grandfathers were around at the time of Henry's birth in 1457. When the fireplace was installed and bedecked with Tudor heraldry there must have been a very strong tradition that this was the birth place, although other traditions existed.

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