Brief History

The History of  our local

authority

   Milford Haven Urban District Council (UDC), Pembrokeshire, was established under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1894. The Council comprised councillors and a chairman and originally took over responsibilities from Milford Haven Improvement Commissioners. The Council's responsibilities included sanitary services, sewerage, refuse collection, housing, streets, cemeteries, libraries, parks, controls on buildings such as petrol stations, and licensing of public entertainments. From 1925 it also became a rating authority. UDCs were administered by a number of committees and by appointed officers including a Clerk, Treasurer, Medical Officer of Health, Surveyor, Rating Officer and Sanitary Inspector. The UDC inherited some records of the Milford Haven Improvement Commissioners, active in the 1850s. Milford Haven UDC was abolished in 1974 following local government reorganisation and was absorbed into Preseli Pembrokeshire District Council.

Welcome to the History of Milford Haven

Gazetteer Entry   MILFORD, a town, a chapelry, and a sub-district, in Haverfordwest district, Pembroke. The town stands on the N side of Milford-Haven, between two small creeks, at the terminus of the Milford railway, and in connexion with the Milford-Haven railway, 5½ miles ENE of the entrance of Milford-Haven, and 7 SSW of Haverfordwest. It originated with Sir William Hamilton, the British envoy at the court of Naples, who owned its site, and obtained an act of parliament to construct quays, form docks, make streets, and establish a market; and it was commenced in 1790 by the Hon.F. Greville, who inherited Sir William's property. It was designed on a regular plan, with streets running parallel to the harbour, and with other streets crossing these at right angles; it became a royal dock-yard and a packet station to Ireland, and appeared for a time to be rapidly prospering; it suffered a severe check in 1 814, by the removal of the dock-yard establishment to Paterchurch, now called Pembroke dock, on the opposite side of the haven; it had been pronounced by Lord Nelson one of the finest stations possible for a British fleet, with command of safe and capacious anchorage for the entire British navy, but had been found, or was thought to have been found, incapable of acquiring sufficient defences against hostile attacks;   The town comprises-has comprised since 1811-three parallel streets, ranged along a hill-side, and commanding fine views of the harbour; and it has a head post office† of the name of Milford-Haven, a railway station, a market-house, a custom-house, a spacious hotel called the "Lord Nelson," an observatory, a church, Independent and Baptist chapels, and a quondam chapel of ease now used as a powder-magazine. The church stands on a spot designed to be the centre of the town; was erected and endowed in 1808, by the Hon.F Greville; is a handsome edifice; and contains a vase of Egyptian red porphyry, brought to England by Dr. Pococke, and inscribed to the memory of Nelson. The whale fishery was formerly carried on, but has entirely ceased. An oyster fishery has always been prominent; suffered serious injury by the deplenishing of its grounds to supply foreign beds; and was recently placed under such protection as is likely to render it one of the most productive fisheries in the kingdom