1. The Bethel was built in 1907 on Charles Street, Milford Haven. It was a large 3-storey house having a mixture of styles, which included mock tudor, a castellated tower and a mansard roof. The hostel closed in 1956.

(Source: early black and white postcard, dated c1915)
RCAHMW, 9th January 2008.

2. The Building was originally constructed using funds and on lands provided by John Cory, as well as several others, in order to provide shelter for seafaring men. One of the foundation stones was laid by Margaret Lloyd George (1864-1941), wife of then prime minister. When the building was opened in 1909, the admiralty sent the first-class armoured cruiser, H.M.S. Carnarvon to the area to mark the occasion. Later during the first World War, Bethel provided accommodation to 33,864 sailors, many coming from 148 different ships which had been torpedoed or otherwise destroyed and 537 of whom were in the Bethel Sick Bay. Bethel also served a prominent role during the War in housing Belgian refugees.

The building has been heavily renovated, although many details are still discernible, with pebble-dash rendering covering the upper stories. The ground floor has been converted into shops, with modern shop fronts with large windows inserted.

(Sources: Google Streetview, July 2016; Welsh Newspapers Online: 'New Bethel for Milford Haven: to be opened next Wednesday', Haverford and Milford Haven Telegraph, 21.07.1919, p. 3; 'Remarkable War Time Storey, Sufferings of Victims of German Submarines, Killed a Dog for its Blood, Milford Bethel's Service of Mercy', Ibid, 26 February 1919, p. 1)
A.N. Coward, RCAHMW, 16.08.2018