Hakin is a coastal village in

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and otherwise by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. It belongs to the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

of Hubberston in the historical hundred of Roose. It is located directly to the west of the larger town of

Milford Haven Milford Haven ( ) is a town and community (Wales), community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has been used as a port since the Middle Ages. The town was ...

, and is a district of the

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

of Milford Haven It had a population of 2,313 inhabitants in 2001.

Etymology

The name Hakin is derived from the Old English Hecke, meaning ''"corner in the bend of the stream"'', and the German Ecken, meaning ''"a point of land"''.Hakin CP Junior School ''Hakin: A Pictorial History: Book 1'', C.I.T Print Services, Haverfordwest, 1998. ASIN B0018LIPK2 The word was used as a geographical term to describe the location of an area, as late as 1794. The term Haking to describe the current boundary was first recorded in 1861, in the ''British Postal Guide'', provided as a sub-office under Milford. Prior to this, the area had been referred to as Hubberston, or Hubberston-Haking.

History

Hakin has been a settlement since at least the 13th century. It has variously be known as Haking, and later as Old Milford, to distinguish it from the newer settlement across the tidal estuary.A Topographical Dictionary of Wales
Lewis, Samuel (1849) pp. 430-440 A ferry service to Ireland operated from Hakin towards the end of the 18th century, although this ceased in the early 19th century.Wing Commander Ken McKay ''A Vision Of Greatness: The History of Milford 1790-1990'', Brace Harvatt Associates, 1989. Between 1801 and 1803, the village and waterway were protected by temporary batteries at Hakin Point, in response to the perceived threat following the Fishguard Invasion.Phillips, Benjamin A ''Pembrokeshire's Forts & Military Airfields 1535 - 2010'', Logaston Press, 2013 At a site on high ground in Hakin,

Charles Francis Greville Charles Francis Greville PC FRS FRSE FLS FSA (12 May 1749 – 23 April 1809) was a British antiquarian, collector and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1774 to 1790. Early life Greville was the second son of Francis Greville ...

planned to build The College of King George the Third to study mathematics and navigation, whose centrepiece would be an observatory. Although the observatory was built, and scientific instruments delivered, the college never functioned as such as after the death of Greville in 1809 the whole project was abandoned. The remains of the observatory still stand and are grade II* listed. By 1849, the district of Hakin was described as a considerable centre of boat building, with approximately 200 "shipwrights residing at that place". However until the construction of a bridge linking the populations of Hakin and Milford, access to the district was via a plank across Hubberston Pill, and Hakin was considered something of a poor relation to the main town. Point Street, formerly Store Street, was the busy hub of the community, characterized by numerous public houses, stores to service the maritime trade, and prostitution. The completion of the Milford Docks in 1888 radically altered the Hakin landscape. Whereas Hubberston grew up around St David's church and Hubberston Green, Hakin evolved around Hakin Point and Point Street. With the construction of council housing in the interwar period, the division between the two districts became less clear. An initial building phase included prefabs in Nelson Avenue, Harbour Way and Observatory Avenue, although these were later replaced with more substantial properties.

Transport

Hakin is separated from Milford Haven by Hubberston Pill, a once tidal estuary. Access is via Victoria Bridge, which is reached via the A4076 through Milford Haven. A circular bus service operates, providing connections to Milford Haven. The village is served by the nearby Milford Haven railway station. Hakin Dock railway station operated briefly from a location on the docks.Parker, Richard, ''The Railways of Pembrokeshire'', Noodle Books, 2008.

Education

There are several primary schools in the village: Gelliswick school The MITEC School of Boatbuilding & Marine Engineering, a branch of Pembrokeshire College, offers courses in boatbuilding and marine engineering. It is located in Milford Dock

Governance

The Milford Hakin electoral ward elects a councillor to

Pembrokeshire County Council Pembrokeshire County Council () is the local authority for the county of Pembrokeshire, one of the principal areas of Wales. History There have been two bodies called Pembrokeshire County Council. The first existed from 1889 until 1974, and th ...

. Prior to 1996 the ward for elections to

Dyfed County Council Dyfed County Council () was the county council of the county of Dyfed in south west Wales. It operated between 1974 and 1996. The county council was based at County Hall, Carmarthen. History Dyfed County Council was created on 1 April 1974 und ...

was simply called Hakin.

Religion

Hakin identifies itself as almost exclusively Christian. Places of worship within the village include: Anglican *St David's Hubberston *St Mary's, Hakin *Church of the Holy Spirit, Haki

Calvinistic Methodist Chapel, Hakin *Rehoboth Calvinistic Methodist Chapel, Hakin Roman Catholic *St Claires, Hakin (Closed and Demolished 2000) United Reformed Church *Hakin Point

Sport and leisure

The village has a number of venues for sports and leisure. There are local Rugby football, rugby and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

clubs. Nautical activities centre around the marina and Pembrokeshire Yacht Club, which is located in Gellyswick. There is a

golf club A golf club is a club used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a club head. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety o ...

on the outskirts of the town, which was founded in 1913.Club History
Milford Haven Golf Club The village has two public houses, the "Avondale Hotel" public house in Hill Street and the "Three Crowns" public house in Hubberston Terrace Image:Fort Hubberstone (MGK28051).jpg, Hubberston Fort at Gelliswick Image:Hubberston Church.jpg, Hubberston Church Image:Milford Haven Port Authority.JPG, Milford Haven Port Authority, Hakin

References

External links

Milford Haven Port Authority

Milford Haven Golf Club
{{authority control Milford Haven Populated coastal places in Wales Villages in Pembrokeshire Wards of Dyfed