Scheduled MonumentsWalesChapel Bay Fort
Post Medieval/Modern · Fort

Chapel Bay Fort

Pembrokeshire, Wales
Cadw SAM PE333
Period
Post Medieval/Modern
Site type
Fort
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Chapel Bay Fort is a coastal defence fortification located on the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales, constructed during the nineteenth century as part of Britain's defensive infrastructure against potential invasion. The fort exemplifies the type of purpose-built artillery fortifications that proliferated around British coasts during the mid to late 1800s, reflecting contemporary military strategic concerns. Built to command the approaches to Milford Haven, one of Britain's most strategically important natural harbours, the fort was designed to house garrison troops and mounting platforms for defensive cannon. The site remains a substantial example of Victorian-era coastal military architecture, with its characteristic bastioned design and masonry construction typical of fortifications from this period.

Chapel Bay Fort is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference PE333. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Chapel Bay Fort?

Chapel Bay Fort is a coastal defence fortification located on the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales, constructed during the nineteenth century as part of Britain's defensive infrastructure against potential invasion. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference PE333.

What period does Chapel Bay Fort date from?

Chapel Bay Fort dates from the post medieval/modern period, and is classified as a fort. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Chapel Bay Fort?

Chapel Bay Fort is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is PE333.

What other scheduled monuments are near Chapel Bay Fort?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including West Pickard Camp (2.7 km), Gravel Bay anti-aircraft battery (3.8 km), Devil's Quoit Burial Chamber (4 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Chapel Bay Fort

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Chapel Bay Fort's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Chapel Bay Fort report
Or see a real report first
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Chapel Bay Fort

Chapel Bay Fort stands on Devonian claystone, bedrock that formed in the Carboniferous. The rock here is major:{claystone}, Minor{sandstone,siltstone,carbonates, consolidated}.