Brixham's advancement as a
fishing port had been steadily progressing and an important ship and boatbuilding industry had built up alongside.
Records
from
1804
show
Wheaton as the largest shipbuilder
Waiting for a breese, 1868
also mentioned along with four
Captain Samuel Holland and family. Holland owned three sailing trawlers named “Guess”, “Guess Again” - pictured on page 2 - and “Guess On” (to deter nosey neighbours who wondered where he had found the money to build them).
in Brixham.Wood and Furneaux are
smaller yards. The number and size
of the yards increased and by 1850 Furneaux
was
building
both
trawlers and trading ships inside the
harbour, Jackman was building on
the Breakwater beach, Cottie had a yard at Shoalstone and Osbourne at Fishcombe.
Dewdney, Munday and Richardson had yards on King Street.
Uphams outlived them all. Founded in 1817, by 1890 the site covered three
acres and could build ships of up to 400 tons. Uphams also built many trawlers, the best known being 'Ibex', renowned for her unbeatable speed.
From the advent of the sailing trawler Brixham's fleet grew to more than
200 vessels in the 1890's. Despite the advent of steam there were still several
dozen operating under sail in the 1920's, with new ones being built until 1926, and a handful remained fishing until the outbreak of World War II. The town is still the third largest fishing port in England.
Brixham outer harbour, still full of sailing trawlers, 1926
SAILING TRAWLERS
35