The Oxford and Milford Haven Road page 2

There is much of interest to see in historic Haverford west. The chief buildings are the churches of S. Mary, S. Martin and S. Thomas. An old building is now used for the fish market and two bridges cross the river. There are remains of an Augustinian priory. Settled by the Flemings in the twelfth century, Haverfordwest obtained various privileges, and in 1485 became a corporate town. A county in itself-this right dating from 1536-it has its own lord lieutenant. After the pacification of Wales it became a flourishing port, and remained so until supplanted by Milford. Its ancient Welsh name is supposed to have been Caer Alun, and its present name, obviously Scandinavian, may be due to the influence of Danish settlers or men of that country who harried it.

The last miles into Milford take us by Merlin's Bridge through Johnston and Steynton. The town to which we now come is styled Old Milford. The age of it is by no means great, for it was founded in 1790 as a place to serve the Irish packet-line. When those packets were removed to Neyland, that village was styled "New Milford," but this has also, in turn, suffered neglect. The great sea-fiord of Milford Haven, in fact, although extensive enough and with deep water throughout, so that all the navies in the world could anchor in it, has never really come into its own, and is mostly a lone waste of water. Time and again it has been proposed to make due use of this wonderful natural harbour of Pembrokeshire, but its day has not yet dawned.