Haverfordwest Priory

PricingFreeFree for all visitors

Free entry for everyone

Entry

Free for everyone

Pricing details

Free entry for everyone; no membership card is needed.

ParkingParking not known

The Trust's page does not say how parking is charged.

Parking details

Cadw lists no designated parking. Pembrokeshire County Council's car parks on The Parade and Union Hill are about 300 m away but their pages publish no charges, so the status is recorded as unknown; St Thomas Green long stay, about 450 m away, charges £1 for an hour, £1.50 for two, £2 for four and £2.50 for 24 hours. Reviewers report free roadside parking nearby but also that parking was a nightmare. From The Parade and Quay Street the paved riverside footway leads to the priory steps.

Driving pin: Cadw's own arrival point where the riverside path from The Parade reaches the priory steps at its north-west corner, 96 m from its marker in the ruins. By road: Haverfordwest via the A4076 or A40. By rail: Haverfordwest, about a quarter of a mile. National Cycle Network route 4 passes 1.6 km away.

About

Haverfordwest Priory, Priordy Hwlffordd, is a ruined priory on the banks of the River Cleddau just outside the old town walls, excavated from the 1980s after the Guild of Freemen gave it into state care. Dedicated to St Mary and St Thomas the Martyr, it was probably founded for Augustinian canons by Robert FitzRichard around 1200, and parts of the 13th-century cruciform church, including the site of the high altar, the chapter house and the cloister can be seen. The priory's star feature is its restored garden, the only surviving medieval ecclesiastical garden in Britain, replanted with the look and fragrance of medieval times, a pleasure garden that was a rarity in monastic circles. Finds from the digs are in the town museum. Reviewers find a peaceful, free spot for a 30-minute stop and a picnic, a few minutes' walk along the river from the Riverside shopping area, though it can be wet underfoot. Dogs on short leads are welcome.

Open in daylightFrom Cadw's published times

Haverfordwest Priory is currently closed due to poor weather conditions. We are monitoring the situation and will update you when it is safe for you to visit. Thank you.

Open any reasonable time in daylight

Opening times may change at short notice.

Open all year during reasonable daylight hours; no admission charge. Cadw may close monuments at short notice in extreme weather.

Terrain level 1, accessible: flat grassed grounds with relatively flat stone inside the monument, though the outlines of the inner rooms are trip hazards and the stonework and small access bridges are slippery when wet; the riverside can be very wet underfoot and the river runs close when high. Two information boards and CCTV at the entrance. No toilets or facilities. Drones are not permitted.

Dogs: Dogs on short leads are welcome throughout the priory, an open-air site at ground level.

Photo: The ruined walls of Haverfordwest Priory church above the replanted medieval garden beds, under a blue sky. Chris Andrews, CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Haverfordwest_Priory_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2948769.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.