Haverfordwest is the county town of Pembrokeshire in Wales. It functions as the county's primary business and administrative centre. Haverfordwest is the most heavily populated urban area in Pembrokeshire. Nevertheless, in accordance with the 2011 Census, the town has a permanent population of around 12042 people, which is a small decrease from the 13367 inhabitants documented in the 2001 Census. The town has been English-speaking for centuries, however because the town markets traded the goods of Welsh farmers to the north and east, there has always been a substantial Welsh-speaking prominence and the air of a 'frontier' town. The suburb of Prendergast appears to have emerged as an extramural Welsh dormitory, dating from the times when all agricultural trade needed to travel through the borough, and the fearful Normans before the deterioration of Anglo-Norman power in 1136 attempted to avoid Welshmen bearing arms from entering within the castle walls after nightfall. In accordance with its status as a sub local hub-town, Haverfordwest continues to act as Pembrokeshire's primary commercial and retail centre. Recent years have seen the development of the river-side shopping centre. More recently still there has actually been substantial retail development in the residential area of Withybush on the borders of the town, with the opening of a number of big commercial chain stores. Haverfordwest is approximately 6 miles (10 kilometres) miles east of the village of Broad Haven, part of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and Britain's only coastal national park, which attracts thousands of visitors annually. The closest boundary of the park is at Hanton Bridge 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) southeast. The town is also home to a variety of football, rugby, cricket and kayaking clubs. For all your home improvements, make sure to identify reliable contractors in Haverfordwest to make certain of quality.