Brief history of East Blockhouse
This headland has long had a key military defence role because of its location at the mouth of the Milford Haven Waterway.
There are therefore a number of historically significant buildings dotted around these shores.
In 1539 a gun tower was built at the East entrance to the Haven. The East Blockhouse is now the earliest surviving military installation on the waterway, and is a scheduled ancient monument. It was originally one of a pair of small artillery blockhouses built either side of the harbour entrance.
Between 1901 and 1904 six large gun emplacements were built on this site. They replaced earlier gun emplacements that dated from 1852. They contained three 6-inch guns, two 9-inch guns and one twin-pounder gun.
The gun emplacements were in use until shortly after the Second World War. In the post war period they were used for artillery training until the late 1950s
Dotted around the cliffs of the peninsula are several searchlight emplacements. These were constructed at the same time as the gun emplacements and were positioned to locate enemy aircraft or surface vessels.
Please do not attempt to climb down to these searchlights, these cliffs are dangerous
Tŷ Haf and Tŷ Gaer were converted from a LORAN (LOng Range Aid to Navigation) station. This was a radio navigation building constructed in the mid 1960s. It stopped transmitting in 1977.
The whole site is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The area is covered with a diverse grassland ecosystem and supports numerous species of birds including, cormorants, chough and stonechats.
Mammals present on the site include foxes, bats, rabbits and badgers and the site is grazed by Gypsy cobs. If you are lucky you may also spot a grey seal sunbathing on the rocks.
