Pembroke - What Fossils can be found?

Crinoid pieces weathering proud of limestone block

A video at the beginning of the castle tour takes you through its colourful history. Originally it was a wooden structure built by the Normans in 1093. This was later strengthened and rebuilt in rock over a period of 30 years, from 1189. Further periods of building, stability and minor dereliction occurred until 1648, when Oliver Cromwell ordered the castle destroyed following the civil war. The castle escaped full demolition but was badly damaged and remained a ruin until 1880 when a program of repairs began. These were continued from 1928 and finally restored the castle to the beautiful structure we see today.

When touring the castle and investigating its walls for fossils, the above history is well evidenced. The crinoid fossils within blocks that were quarried more recently during one of the castle’s numerous periods of repair, have only been exposed to weathering for a relatively short period of time and do not stand proud of their matrix. Blocks within the walls of the oldest parts of the castle however have had many hundreds of years for their fossils to weather free of their matrix and these are seen in high relief. The fossils within these blocks are beautifully displayed and the natural weathering has ‘prepared’ them in a way that a skilled fossil preparer would be proud of. These naturally weathered blocks are a real treat and show what the rocks of our coastlines and other rocky areas must have looked like before we became aware of the significance of fossils and started to collect them.

Crinoid stem parts are the most abundant fossils seen, but corals and brachiopods are also present.

Crinoid pieces weathering proud of limestone block

Polished crinoidal limestone - stairs