Protecting the most significant buildings, monuments and features of Pembroke (12)

The Pembroke Rifle Ranges pre-date most of the barrack complexes of the Pembroke Cantonment as the garigue land at Pembroke was found very suitable to construct musket and rifle firing ranges for other small arms, as well as conducting 'Assault Courses' for the troops.

Their numbers increased in time and even their configuration varied with the development of arms.

As an average, there were always five ranges, many being as long as 1000 yards (914.5 m), with firing mounds set at distances at which firing practice is based; some of which even had 'firing pits'.

Running from the very top along some of the ranges, are a number of narrow concrete paths designed for soldiers to advance on while performing the 'assault course' in full kit, where they stop at each mound to fire their weapons as instructed. With time, most of the ranges were shortened and others no longer used. Only two remained active and were concurrently used by the Armed Forces of Malta and the Royal Marines. Following the closure of the British military establishments in Malta in 1979, the two active ranges began to be used by the AFM.

Mepa scheduled seven ranges in 1996 as Grade 1 properties of historic, architectural and contextual value as they form part of a larger already scheduled military complex and were republished following a revision as per Government Notice number 880/09 dated October 30, 2009.