The estuary of the River Cleddau forms a natural harbor which had already been used by Vikings in the Middle Ages -as the Norse origin of the name Milford implies. The area surrounding Milford has been used as a staging ground and harbor for invasions coming from France or going to Ireland, but surprisingly it was Quaker families brought from Nantucket that were settled here and the town was founded in the late 18th century as an intended whaling center and navy dockyard. Whaling and ship-building declined, yet with the advent of the railway, the proximity to good fishing grounds, the sheltered harbor, and direct access to markets in London Milford Haven again prospered.
Oil was important from the 1960s onward and the port rose to be one of the leading ports in the UK. Since 2009 it has one of the largest LNG plants in Europe. The Milford Waterfront has converted old structures for modern social and cultural use in a bid to revive the old port and Milford Haven can be used as a gateway to see several castles and prehistoric sites in Pembrokeshire and the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. As one of the smallest UK National Parks it has one of the most diverse landscapes and includes parts of Milford Haven’s estuary.
Visit the picturesque, history-laden Picton Castle (built in 13th century AD) or Pembroke Castle, the remains of the 11th century medieval castle that housed Henry VII, King of England, in the 15th – 16th century AD.