Milford Haven and Hakin
During the Civil War Pill Fort or 'The Gunkle', as it was known locally, was built by the Royalists to defend against the Parliamentarians. The remains of the rampart were removed in the early 1990s.
The land on which Milford stands was once owned by Sir William Hamilton. In 1790 he was granted an Act of Parliament to build a town upon the site. A group of Quaker whalers from Nantucket were persuaded to settle here, the settlers cottages can still be seen on Cellar Hill; whaling ships sailed from the port for more than two decades.
In 1796 the Royal Dockyard was briefly established. Several private shipbuilding yards occupied the Milford shore of Hubberston Pill. The supporting workshops were located on the opposite side, in the old fishing village of Hakin, where the Observatory is all that remains of the 'College of King George the Third'. Intended to teach mathematics, engineering and nautical skills, it was never completed.
Hubberston Fort at Gelliswick was built in the 1860s. Another of Palmerston's Follies, it was used by the Americans during the Second World War. The building of the docks across Hubberston Pill was completed in 1888. Milford soon became one of the largest fishing ports in Britain. Over 4,000 people were employed in the industry.
Two fish trains left daily to carry the catch to markets across England and Wales. Despite a record catch of 59,000 tons in 1946, there was a steady decline and the last of the locally owned trawlers moved to other ports in 1991. Milford Haven developed as a major oil port from the late 1950s and is now a major energy port importing both oil and liquefied natural gas. The docks now contain a marina, shops, flats, galleries and a museum.
Milford Docks circa 1919
Milford marina 2007
