Milford Haven : Waterway and Town

In June 1790, Sir William Hamilton received Royal Assent to build the new town and port of Milford in the Manor or Lordship of Hubberston and Pill, which he had inherited from his first wife, Catherine Barlow of Slebech.

His nephew, Charles Francis Greville, supervised the building task and persuaded two leading American Quaker whaling families- the Folgers and Starbucks- to come to the town.

This heralded the beginnings of Milford Haven. This informative collection of around 200 photographs tells the story of Milford Haven from earliest times, taking in the formation of the Haven itself, as well as the development of the town as a fishing port and later a centre for oil refineries.

The book shows how, in 1874, work began on a floating dock, which had been designed for use by transatlantic trade, and how Milford was destined to become the fifth biggest fishing port in Britain.

When fishing fell into irreversible decline in the late 1950s and oil, in the form of five international companies came to the rescue, Milford Haven became the largest oil port in Europe.

The book provides an unparalleled insight into the Waterway and Town of Milford Haven and gives a glimpse of the streets of the town and the people who lived there, at work and leisure.

Many of these photographs are in print for the first time and will provide much nostalgic pleasure for many.