His father was a promoter and developer of the docks at Avonmouth and the eldest son of Philip John Miles and Clarissa Peach, and his mother was the daughter of General Sir William Francis Patrick Napier.
His ashes were buried at Henbury parish church, and his grave is marked by the family motto, "Labora siccut bonus miles" ("Work like a good soldier"), a pun on their surname.
In 1930 he gave land at Sea Mills for homes for World War I veterans, and established covenants intended only for relatively low-density housing, in line with the ideals of the garden city movement of the time.
[citation needed] Miles was the last squire of Kingsweston[3] and was active in the local music community in the early part of the 20th century.
[citation needed] Bristol composer Jane Roeckel introduced Miles to the young violinist Marie Hall, and he became her benefactor.
His financial support helped Hall live in London to attend the Royal Academy of Music, and later enabled her to study with Czech violinist Otakar Ševčík in Prague for 18 months.
He tried to emulate Rutland Boughton's "village opera" at Glastonbury but his goal to establish an English national opera-house was unrealized.