King Henry VII birthplace town set for £4.5m redevelopment

A Henry Tudor visitor centre could be developed in Pembroke's planned South Quay project

A £4.5m town centre development near the birthplace of a former King of England is set to take a step forward.

Firms are to be invited to tender for Pembroke's South Quay project to revive an area in the shadow of the castle, where King Henry VII was born in 1457.

A statue of Henry Tudor was unveiled in the area in 2017 and new plans include a visitor centre and a new library.

Pembrokeshire council wants to create a "vibrant ally to the town's already established historical importance".

Henry VII was born Henry Tudor at the town's 11th Century castle to Margaret Beaufort and Edmund Tudor.

• Who was Henry VII?

• How the War of the Roses impacted on Wales

He went on to become the first Welshman to sit on the English throne after seizing it in 1485, defeating King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in the culmination of the Wars of the Roses.

A portrait of Henry VII, the former king of England, on display in the Victoria And Albert Museum

He was the last king of England to win his throne on the field of battle and the first Tudor monarch, before his death aged 52 in 1509.

Tourism bosses in Pembrokeshire hope to "reposition the town as a top tier visitor destination" and plan to develop a Henry Tudor visitor centre.

The South Quay development around the banks of the Mill Pond is "crucial for the regeneration of the town", said Councillor Paul Miller, Pembrokeshire's cabinet member responsible for the economy and tourism.

Architects with a "substantial portfolio of heritage design and development projects" were appointed last summer.

This old building is planned to be transformed into a Henry Tudor Visitor Centre

They propose renovating old buildings into "productive use" to create an "aesthetically impressive" town centre, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mr Miller will "formally invite and evaluate tenders to carry out the enabling works on the South Quay Redevelopment project, and delegate the contractor appointment to the head of infrastructure."