The Customs House

Cadw's description

Location

Situated prominently to S of Victoria Road.

History

One of the first buildings of the new town of Milford, possibly designed by William Jernegan of Swansea whom Greville consulted in 1793. Until the late C19 it was paired with a similar 3-storey warehouse to left. The earliest view of the Custom House is by J Warwick Smith (drawing in National Library of Wales dated about 1812) which shows the wings then.

Exterior

Circa l794 Customs House, now Milford Haven Museum. Red rubble stone, originally stuccoed or roughcast, with asbestos sheet roofing. Three-storey three-window centrepiece with pedimental gable, said to have been the original building, and two-storey six-window wings, which may be original or were added before l812. Centre has lunette in gable but has lost all trace of mouldings to pediment, the first and second floors openings are vertically linked in sunk panels and ground floor has arched openings. Rough stone voussoirs, C20 casement windows, and doors to ground and first floor centre.

Wings have hipped end gables, similar casement windows, but those on first floor left have had the lintels raised. Ground floor openings have blank arched heads over casement windows or doors, WDW WDW to left wing, WWW WD and blank opening to right, the second window with fanlight and the door damaging original arch-head. First floor has loading door in fourth bay and blank window in sixth. E end C20 brick lean-to. Large C20 flat-roofed rear addition.

Interior

Arcaded axial spine walls to ground floor and arched recesses on rear wall. Big transverse arch across first floor of E wing and arches between centre and wings.

Reason for designation

Group value with The Sewin Restaurant building and No 1 Victoria Road.