Milford takes its name from the Milford Haven Waterway, a natural harbour on which the town stands. It is a relatively modern town, founded at the end of the eighteenth century on land owned by Sir William Hamilton, but the neighbouring parishes of Steynton and Hubberston are much older, with medieval churches. Hakin, a thriving community within the latter parish, was for many years a centre of shipbuilding and the terminus of a mail service to Ireland. The new port of Milford attracted the whaling fleet and was the venue for the Royal Dockyard until 1814.The decline of the fishing fleet provided an opportunity in the late 1950s for the Haven to embrace the oil industry. More recently, as an LNG importation port, it has again become one of the largest ports in the country. The last twenty years have seen a transition at Milford from working docks to a busy marina with cafes, restaurants and shops.